Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-01-29

ing lines of to-day. The city lay be-
tween Paxton street and South street
along Front, while a diagonal line
from there to Paxton creek at Null
berry formed the eastern boundary.
All above South street was known as
Maclaysburg until 1888.
In Market Square, merely the
Square" in those days, was located
the markethouse that was built by
Christian Kunkel, one of the original
directors of the Harrisburg Bank
Thus even at this early date did that
institution and the men interested in
it, become felt in the development of
the activities of the city.
At the "Sign of the Sheaf o. Wheat
For instance, there was John
Schoch, mine host of the famous inn
of the Sign o. the Wheat Sheaf," To-
Gated on the present site of the Har-
risburg Club, at Front and Market
streets. Mr.. Schoch was one of the
first directors of the Harrisburg Bank
and it was at his tavern that all the
important conferences of the day
were held.
Another landmark that was built
in 1866 and which is still standing is
the old stone mansion erected at
Washington and Front streets by John
Harris and occupied at the time of
the founding of the Harrisburg Bank
inal members of the banks direc-
torate. Two churches, the German
Reformed, at Third and Cherry, and
the Presbyterian, at Second and
Cherry, were in existence then, while
the cornerstone of Zion Lutheran in
South Fourth street. was just being
laid. The court removed from the
Courthouse in 1912 to allow the Leg
islature to sit. In those days there
h1tf fx1-n IN, To .,.;-
burg-The Oracle of Dauphin, pub
lished by John Wyeth, and The Har-
risburg Chronicle, published by Hugh
Hamilton. For many years Mr. Ham
ilton was the notary for the Harris
burg Bank.
The Flag of Stars
OF course, these were the exciting
days of the second fracas with Eng
land Naturally some really local his
tory was made about that time. 1t
was in August 1914, that the famous
Durang Family played, and 1t was
from Hyneman's Inn, in Market
stret, that one of the stars, Ferdi-
nand Durang, enlisted in Captain
Thomas Walkers company of the
First Regiment. He marched to help
in the defense of Baltimore and there
won fame by setting Francis Scott
Keys Star Spangled Banner" to the
tune of 'Anacreon in Heaven" The
brigade commander was General John
Forster, for eighteen years cashier of
the Harrisburg Bank. According to
Benjamin l.. Forster, his son, and
now dean OF the Dauphin county bar,
the "Star Spangled Banner was first
sung in the camps of the Pennsylvania
troops instead of Fords Theater.
The Harrisburg Bank really bought
! out the old Philadelphia branch bank
known as "rhe office OF discount and
deposit" in 1917. The price was
$245, ,S21.37.
Moses Musgrave was the cashier of
the branch bank and on its board OF
directors were Robert Harris and John
Howard, who were later to become
directors of the Harrisburg Bank,
while Thomas Elder. Jacob M. Hal
deman, Christian Kunkel, Abraham
| Owes and others, who were to become
intimately concerned with the Harris
burg Bank, were depositors.
Rafting Down the Susquehanna
Father Susquehanna in those days
was an important and necessary ad-
junct to the lumber trade, and natur-
ally Harrisburg was bound to be the
center of that great industry. In
flood times the timber raft traffic was
immense Wrote Mr.. Musgrave OF
those busy times:
"In lumber and flour alone this town
does a business of $4,000 annually
the busy seasons being Spring and
Fall, when the river is high" OF
course the needs for bank were OBJ
vious Not that it didn't require cour-
age and judgment to be a banker
however, despite the business condi-
tions. only thirty-four years before
the first bank in the United States had
been established; there were then