Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-02-22
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hanna river on some surveying ana
exploring work before the French
and Indian war. the only record that
has been made of any time spent by
the great American at this point on
the wide branching river is when he
came here on his way to the front in
the Whisky Insurrection. Wash-
ington came here on October 3,
1894. This place had become Har-
rishurg nine years before. Prior to
that time it had been John Harris
Ferry, the great crossing place on
the Susquehanna for the people who
made the southwestern counties and
rarts of Virginia, Ohio. kentucky
and Tennessee and it was a place of
great interest to the officer of the
American army because of it's ideal
location as II point for quartermast-
ers' stores and supplies, use to
which 1t was extensively put in the
French and Indian war and by Sui
livan and Wayne when they planned
expeditions against Indians to say
nothing of what John Harris did to
help along the army at Valley Forge.
Washington came into town from
the road to Middletown, probably up
| Race street and went up Second to
been controversy about where he
| lodged, but he made an address to
| the citizens, who were Joined by
many people from the surrounding
country, from the horse block or
stepping stone in front of the WASH
| ington house, which stood where the
Commonwealth hotel was located.
This stone was presented by the late
| William A. Kelker to the Dauphin
| HiSfnrirn1
RombGugh and Alexander Berryhill,
| the burgesses, made an address to
which the general responded re-
marking upon the patriotism which
had always marked the people Of
| the place. Next morning the general
accompanied by Alexander Hamilton
and other officers, went across the
river on John Harris Ferry on his
way up the Cumberland Valley. Tho
whole town appears to have gone
down to see him off and cannon were
fired from what is now Harris park
as he left with a squadron of drag
oonS which acted as his escort.
One of the interesting facts about
| the visit of Washington was that for
years the fathers had dispute over
where the general lodged. There
was a lot of political feeling here
and the general seems to have pre-
ferred to go to a tavern rather than
spend the night at the home of any
of the citizens. John Harris had
died few years before and Wash
ington and Senator William Maclay
were at odds and had been for some
years. Many were aligned with
| Maclay. There We're several taverns
in the town and although it is gen.
orally believed that he stopped at
that later known as the Washing
| ton House, no less than three inns
were pointed out in later years as
the place where Washington lodged.
The alert editor of the Oracle of
Dauphin did not record very clearly
where the general stopped. The
| town was full of soldiers on their
way to the scene of the outbreak in
| Western Pennsylvania and not only
! inns, but residences and warehouses
were used to take care of them.
Soldiers even occupied the buildings
about the Ferry and from this prob
ably grew the legend that Washing
ton lodged on the water front. The
Market Square tavern was the big
gest one in the city and contempo-
rary notices tell of various meetings
and functions being held there, as
well as mention it as stopping
| plac for stagecoaches, so Market
| Square probably has the honor. At
any rate the hotel was called the
Washington House for long after
ward.
1t is of record however, that the
death of the great general and
and statesman was nowhere mourn
! ed than in Harrisburg when he
passed away some six years after
| he had been here. The citizens met
on December 23, 1899, in the Wash
ington House, then kept by the noted
Captain Lee, the James Russ of his
day, and adopted resolutions which
provided that everyone should wear
mourning for a month. The Oracle
came out with column rules inverted
and other Journalistic signs of grief
and stores and housese were hung in
Iblack, while everyone wore crepe on
the arm or the hat. The following
month the military companies of
the town, and there were three or
four such organizations although
Harrisburg in 1900 was not as large
as New Cumberland was ten years
ago, went to Middletown where a
parade and public meeting attesting
sorrow was held. Harrisburg people
took a prominent part in that affair
in the oldest town in the county and
! it seems that if there was any place
in the country where Washington
was mourned it was hereabouts for
the full thirty day period.
| 1t may be said that the banks of
the Susquehanna furnished the chief
rival to the selection of the District
of Columbia, as now located, for the
federal capital after Germantown.
And it is possible that if the Phila-
de,phia people had not been so in
sistent upon Germantown that this
state would have had the national
seat of government. The banks of
the Potomac were chosen as the re-
suit of a compromise of great issues
and at one time it looked as though
the district would come to the Sus-
quehanna. There were two points
mentioned for the honor in this
| state. One was at Wrightsville,
where the MifIlins had large holdings
and where the congressional COM
mittee made inspections. The other
was here. William Maclay proposed
to make the district extend from the
mountains to the mouth of Swatara
creek and back into what is now
| Dauphin county some ten or twelve