Chapter 2 Historic & Cultural Resources
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Dauphin County Comprehensive Plan: Basic Studies & Trends__ _____________________ CHAPTER 2 HISTORIC & CULTURAL RESOURCES mouth of the Swatara River, which is believed to be County, triumphing in their new freedom, elected to HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT the oldest building in Middle Paxton Township. demonstrate their appreciation for the French efforts and divide Lancaster County into two An examination of the names of townships, British pioneers also colonized the area counties, naming the new county “Dauphin”, after municipalities, and streets located within Dauphin along the Susquehanna River during the early the oldest son of the King of France. County reveals the names of the courageous, 1700’s. The site of an old Indian village called tenacious men and women that left their homes in Peshtank and convergence of various Indian trails Philadelphia, West Chester, France, England, and proved an acceptable location for John Harris to Ireland to forge a new life in a pristine land. The construct his home around 1719. He built a log first group of settlers, the French Huguenots such cabin near the present site of Paxton and Front as Letort and Chartier, pushed through the frontier Streets and operated a ferry route across the until they reached the Susquehanna River and the Susquehanna River. This village called “Harris’ Indian Village of Peixtan. The original residents of Ferry” flourished as many more people moved into Peixtan, the nomadic Lenni Lenape Indians, the territory. Received these pioneers and served as guides for the newcomers as they searched for animal pelts. Colonists continued to arrive from Ireland, England, France, Germany, and other parts of the Survival in the harsh, rugged frontier Province, as Pennsylvania was known, and to demanded perseverance from those daring enough situate their homesteads along the fertile valleys of to surmount its daily challenges. The Scotch-Irish, the Susquehanna River. During the 1750’s the colonists that possessed these attributed, migrated prosperity of these villages and the peaceful from Ulster, Ireland to the disputed Pennsylvania- relations enjoyed with the Lenni-Lenape and Maryland border and then to the areas along the Iroquois Indians slowly diminished as tensions Susquehanna River in the early days of the mounted between the Indians, the French, and the Fort Hunter Indian Hut Reproduction eighteenth century. Names such as Chambers, British. The once tranquil territory became marred Maclay, and Stewart and Kelker appeared in early by violence and brutal murders of both the Indians records listing the original inhabitants of Peshtank, and the white settlers as the French and Indian War By 1791 the United States had elected its Derry, Londonderry, and Hanover Townships. The raged. first president, the Bill of Rights was added to the Chambers family chose the mouth of Fishing Creek Constitution of the newly created United States, (currently the site of the Hunter Mansion) as the Bayonets and swords had just been retired from the and John Harris lived to see the fulfillment of his location for their family residence and mill battles of the French and Indian War when the ambition to establish the Borough of Harrisburg. operation. Many years later the Chambers family residents of the territory found themselves in the His son, John, not only shared his father’s moved down the Susquehanna River and founded American Revolutionary War. Battling to secure aspirations to establish Harrisburg, but also Chambersburg. In 1729 Peter Allen, one of the first their freedom from the excessive English taxes and believed that someday this town would be the seat colonists to explore and settle the land north of dominance, the colonists enlisted the support of the of government in Dauphin County, and perhaps the Paxton Creek, constructed a stone dwelling at the French, which proved effective. On March 4, 1785, location of the state’s capitol. Harris and William the colonists in the territory known as Lancaster Maclay designed the street pattern for the town Historic & Cultural Resources 2-1 Dauphin County Comprehensive Plan: Basic Studies & Trends__ _____________________ with these goals in mind. They selected several Hill in Harrisburg and the Legislature commenced HISTORIC PRESERVATION PLANNING blocks for the location of the county and state operations. government buildings and designated them as In 1977 the Tri-County Regional Planning public grounds. Activity not only flourished on the blocks Commission prepared an Historic Preservation Plan occupied by governmental buildings, but also as an element of the Regional Land Use Plan John Harris’ dream of locating the county throughout Dauphin County. In the late 1820’s, an project. The purpose was to provide a basic government in Harrisburg met with little resistance; agreement was signed to bring the Pennsylvania framework for municipalities to work toward Middletown and Carlisle were considered, but Canal through the County, linking it to markets of organizing their own historic preservation activities. Harris’ arguments for Harrisburg were convincing. western Pennsylvania, as well as parts of New York The project was intended to increase public Harris encountered more hindrances, however, in and New Jersey. Barge traffic along the awareness of “…the importance of preserving and his request to establish Harrisburg as the state Susquehanna River escalated, bringing new maintaining sites and structures indicative of man’s capitol. The Legislature in Philadelphia realized that products, ideas, and residents to Dauphin County. religious, cultural and physical development…”. It the perimeter of Pennsylvania was increasing as also outlined a series of technical guidelines and more people moved from the eastern cities to the The Pennsylvania Railroad, destined to implementation mechanisms available for historic western frontier regions, and they would eventually become the world’s largest railroad, built its first preservation activities in the Region. have to move the state capitol to a more central section of railroad from Harrisburg to Lewistown. location for the shifting population. In 1795 the Steel companies such as Bethlehem Steel The current list of officially recognized House agreed to relocate in Carlisle, but the Senate developed in the area to support the railroad historical assets were inventoried and mapped for rejected this plan. In 1798, the House selected companies’ need for steel products. The area’s the Regional Growth Management Plan. This Wrightsville as its new location, but again the centralized location in the state and access to a information is depicted on MAP 2-1. Like Senate refused. Finally, one year later, both major waterway, the Susquehanna River, made it environmental limitation data, identifying the parties agreed that Lancaster would be an an ideal center for transportation. Lumber mills location of special and historical features is useful in acceptable location for the seat of government. soon dotted the shoreline of the Susquehanna determining the most suitable areas for growth and River, sending their timber products downstream to development. For thirteen years, state governmental the railroad centers throughout Dauphin County. activities transpired in Lancaster while John Harris’ National Register of Historic Sites public land set aside for such activities would serve The various industries that developed along as a spot where Harrisburg citizens would excavate the scenic Susquehanna River banks, the early Properties and historic districts on the National sand and gravel. Unsatisfied with the facilities and battles argued in the original capitol building, and Register are recognized by the Federal Government location of Lancaster, however, the Legislature the early relations between the Indians and settlers and the Commonwealth as being worthy of again decided to relocate. In 1822, twenty-seven such as Harris, Chambers, Maclay, and Allen are all preservation. They are provided some protection years after John Harris began his crusade to rich, valuable reminders of the Dauphin County from proposed federal funded projects that might establish Harrisburg as the state capitol, the gavel heritage. adversely impact them. The criteria for evaluation struck the Speaker of the House’s desk on Capitol and consideration is based on the quality of significance in American history, architecture, Historic & Cultural Resources 2-2 Dauphin County Comprehensive Plan: Basic Studies & Trends__ _____________________ archeology, engineering and culture. The register identifies these sites and features in the form of historic districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects that possess integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, and association with historic events, person’s lives, distinctive characteristics of a unique period or method of construction, artistic values or other distinguishable entity. A list of Dauphin County National Register sites is listed in TABLE 2-1 and depicted on MAP 2-1. Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission Marker Sites In 1945 a major initiative was started by the Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission to create a program to erect historical markers Dauphin County Historic Marker throughout Pennsylvania. Of the nearly 1500 Fort Hunter markers throughout the Commonwealth, approximately 8% are located in the Tri-County Region. All historical markers in Dauphin County are listed in TABLE 2-2 and depicted on MAP 2-1. Historic Church Historic & Cultural Resources 2-3 NORTHUMBERLAND