Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-07-15
Ehrntrg Ul1at


than twenty-five pages of Commis-
sioner Lynch's directory of high
ways to merely list the streets and
alleys of Harrisburg it is most inter
esting to turn back some seventy
five of the 1874 years of the official
life of this city to note the streets.
Harrisburg was not the city of more
than four miles from end to end
along the Susquehanna that we
know to-day and one could stand
at the toll house of the Harrisburg
bridge and look down Market street
and see the Eastern limit of the
town just as we can do in fmagina-
ton to-day by fancying the Harris
burg Pipe and Pipe Bending works
the end of the built up part of the
city. Commissioner Lynch. whose
street gangs have to go as far north
as No. $500 and out to Twenty
eighth street would have had a snap
covering the street system of 1912
or 1S43 when North street was up
town and Paxton street was the
southern limit of business and resi-
dence. There were some houses
above North street which became
the northern boundary of the bor-
ough when greater Harrisburg began
it's march in the twenties by absorb
ing Maclaysburg, now the heart of
the Fourth Ward with State street
as its main artery.
Front street was officially in the
/ town from end to end, that is from
| Paxton to North. Above North it
was farms such as we remember
| the Tenth Ward and below Paxton
1T had few houses and the town was
| just awakening TO the industrial
possibilities OF south Harrisburg.
| Then came River alley and Second
street with the same limits. Third
street and Raspberry alley, now
| Court street, began at North and
ended in Meadow Lane instead OF
| Mulberry street as now. Meadow
Lane, now obliterated by the ad-
vance of. the railroads was the Oldest
! highway here. 1t was originally
an Indian trail and began at tho
Ferry and went up to become what
was later Jamestown road. Fourth
and Fifth streets and Dewberry alley
ran from Walnut street to Meadow
Lane. Sixth street. known by the
significant name of Back alley ran
from Walnut to Market and was
pretty near the eastern end of town.
1t would be Cowden streets lower
end to-day.
What is now Capitol Park ex-
tension had it's own streets including
High street which began about the
State Library and ran to Walnut,
being wiped out in an early exten-
sion of the park. 1t used to con-
tain several rows of houses and a
brewery. Tanners Lane, later
known as alley, State street and
Cranberry alley were in lines as we
knew them until Capitol park ex-
tension became fact and left only
asphalt strips to mark the highways
that occasionally furnished police
court news.
Cross town streets were much as
we know them, including North,
State, South, Barberry now Barbara;
Pine, Cranberry, Locust, Walnut
Strawberry, Market, Blackberry,
Chestnut, Cherry, Mulberry, Marys,
Harris and Vine. None went be-
yond the canal except Market and
Chestnut which struck the country
at Paxton creek. Blackberry ran
into a cemetery at Fourth; Cherry
and Mulberry ended at Meadow
Lane and so did Mary's alley, of
WHICH only one DlOCh now remains,
Harris alley was about what is now
Washington, which never got be-
yond simple block in it's whole eX-
istepce but sent its traffic into Mea-
dow Lane. Vine street had a fork
and Paxton street, historic highway
to the ferry over which rolled the
tide of emigration to the southwest
for n century was the southern
limit and connected with the Read
ing and Lancaster pixies with n spur
to the county almshouse now Just
outside the corporate limits of Har-
risburg.
In those days Harrisburg rejoiced
in single chamber government and
had four fire companies. Charles
f. Muench for whom Muench street
is named was burgess with j. b.
Thompson as assistant, the council
being Michael Burke, president;
Thomas c. Reed, John Knepler, Will
liam i. Johnson, Alexander Hamil-
ton, William Cottrell, George S.
Kamble and Samuel Holman. Chris
, tian Seller was treasurer and George
]. Shoemaker, town clerk. Conrad
Knepley, the picturesque landlord of
the Jackson Inn, Second and Paxton
streets, was high constable with
three officers to watch and ward
, our town.
The First National Bank, of this
city, has just been notified that il
stands No. in the Third Federal
Reserve district for taking the 1918
certificates Of Indebtedness. This
district includes the Philadelphia
, and Pittsburgh banks and the Har-
risburg institution, which went SIG
, per cent. was only exceeded by a
few figures by n Philadelphia bank