You all are amazing! When I updated last week, I said that the blog was about to reach 17,000 hits for the month. Well, apparently some of you took that as a challenge, because July ended with more than 18,000. (Think we can get 20,000 this month? Let's find out.)
As my Facebook followers may have seen, I took the leap and started an Instagram account for the blog. I have never used Insta before and I have practically no idea what I'm doing, but let's see how it goes. If you're on that app, please consider giving MQ a follow - you'll find it here. Not much there just yet but I'm trying.
For this week's quest, I realized it's been months since we talked about anything in Dauphin County, so I decided a look at Harrisburg's early days was in order. As you might expect, it looked very different than it does today.
John was married twice; by his first wife, Elizabeth McClure, he had one child named Mary. (His second wife was Mary Reed, whose father had commanded Reed's Fort.) Daughter Mary married William Maclay, one of Pennsylvania's first senators, and it was to this son-in-law that John entrusted the task of drawing up the plans for a town in 1785. John's ambition was as simple as it was complicated - to use his late father's land for the establishment of a community for the growing population, and to name it in his father's honor. William surveyed the land and came up with plans for a grid of streets lining quarter-acre building lots, with one street in particular - Market Street - intended to be the grand avenue of the community. Where a standard street in those days was 52.5 feet wide, Market Street was designed to be an exceptional 80 feet wide.
The heart of this new community, called Harrisburg, was what they called the "Market Square," and it was located where Market Street intersected with Second Street. This site was deliberately chosen for its convenience to the Harris ferry, since it meant the farmers on the other side of the river could bring their goods. The square started quite humbly, with just two farmer's markets for the buying and selling of food. Refrigeration hadn't been invented yet, so people usually bought their perishable goods twice a week, leading Wednesdays and Saturdays to be the market's busiest days. However, it was open daily, and as more people began setting up shop, the square became a lively site of social interaction and public events as well as commerce.
Inns were soon added along the streets, allowing the city to provide lodgings for those who came from far away. Presidents George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Ulysses S. Grant all gave speeches at the Market Square, as did a number of other notables. Even Albert Edward, the Prince of Wales (Queen Victoria's son), stayed in Market Square during his grand tour of the United States. According to one of Harrisburg's informational street markers, most of these early and mid-19th century dignitaries stayed at an establishment called the Jones House, which was considered the city's foremost hotel.
The Market Square also had a role in Pennsylvania's anti-slavery position. In 1835, anti-abolitionists attempted to hold a rally in the city courthouse, which refused to admit them, and so they used the Market Square instead. They likely didn't find the audience they wanted, since it seems to be the only such rally ever held there; indeed, African-Americans were among the vendors who worked in the square. In 1859, a fugitive slave named Daniel Dangerfield was apprehended in one of the butcher stalls by federal marshals, and taken for trial in Philadelphia, but Dr. William Jones of Harrisburg testified on his behalf and was the major reason he was set free.
As the 19th century ushered in not only the Civil War but also the Industrial Revolution, sweeping changes were made to the Harrisburg landscape. Refrigerated railway cars allowed perishables to come from greater distances, and new methods of transportation allowed shoppers to likewise travel farther to get what they needed. By the time the Market Square celebrated its 100th anniversary, it was becoming increasingly obsolete, and the last market sheds were torn down just four years later.
The Market Square itself, though, continued to be a significant place in the city well into the 20th century. In the place of the old farmer's markets came department stores, banks, barber shops, theaters, and modern hotels to take the place of the "old-fashioned" inns. Gradually, these too have given way to even more modern hotels, office buildings, and restaurants, but Market Square endures and is still a vital part of the city today. As well as speeches, it has hosted concerts, rallies, and public demonstrations. It's also the site every year for the "drop" at the city's New Year's Eve celebration.
I'm going to end this post with a mystery, which I stumbled across in my research and found too good not to share. In 1914, bonds were issued to finance what were called "comfort stations" beneath the streets. This was a fairly common practice in the country's busiest cities, and they were essentially public restrooms, but hidden underground so as not to detract from the city's beauty. One each for men and women, the facilities included toilets, shower rooms, telephones, shoeshine stands, and electric hair dryers. City employees were recruited to keep the facilities spotless and shining. These continued to be used for several decades until they were closed permanently in 1978 for economic reasons. The water meters were removed, but other than that, no one is entirely sure what happened to the comfort stations. Were they demolished, or filled in? There's no record of it ever happening. It may be that they're still under the Market Square, sealed off but intact, unusual time capsules waiting to be uncovered.
Except where indicated, all writing and photography on this blog is the intellectual property of Laura Klotz. This blog is written with permission of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. I am not employed by the PHMC. All rights reserved.
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