Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-09-03
Ei1fntng Gfrat


masters Association, has been a
center of postal activity for moro
than $50 years, although it was not
until 1871. six years after the town
of Harrisburg was laid out on the
settlement made by John Harris,
some fifty years before, that the
United States formally established
post office here. There have been
! eighteen postmasters, some of them
men of unusual capacity, farseeins.
securing for Harrisburg the facili-
Ties which make it to-day the dis
trioutlon point for mail and sup
| Plies for many towns around. L.
the number there has been one
postmistress, who was a woman of
marked ability and who held office
for eight years. There have been
at least ten places definitely located
for post office uses in Harrisburg
and the present Federal buildinE,
Jointly used by other Federal de-
partments, dates back some forty
years. Away back in French and
Italian war days Harrisburg was a
post station where horses were to
be had for the coaches which came
by occasionally with official letters
and such letters as were intended
for the hardy colonists in the Cum
berland valley. The post road, if
it could be called such, was the
Lancaster pike which was extended
to Harrisburg about 174O. John
Harris ferry, the first enterprise of
Harrisburg, furnished the means
for these early coaches to cross the
Susquehanna and continued down
through the Revolution to be a link
in the cross-county transportation
system with ever increasing i'm
portance. There are frequent ref
erences in old letters to the arrival
of post coach from Philadelphia
and of wondering when the next
would leave the Ferry for the me-
tropolis on the Delaware. Acce7--,
ing to well authenticated RECORDS
Carlisle and Lancaster were the
points from which Harrisburg got
It's postal service supervision for a
few years after the Post Office De-
partment was established under
| Franklin.
This first Harrisburg post office
was secured in 1871 and John Mont
gomery' a member of a prominent
family. was named as postmaster
A few years later John w. Allen.
! one of the owners of the "Oracle of
Dauphin," the first newspaper to
be printed here, was named as post
master, but only held the place a
few months when John Wyeth, the
first Harrisburg newswriter. pub
Usher of the "Oracle" and book
seller, very much of a prominent
, citizen judging from the old news
, papers and records, was appointed.
Mr.. Wyeth had the office at his
printing office in South Second
street in the vicinity of Mulberry,
then a very busy part of Harris
burg. Once owing to some rush
of work he moved the office to his
residence at Second and Mulberry.
John Wyeth was an appointee of
George Washington and gave way
in 1898 to John Wright. the school
master 1t is interesting to note
, , that the office was moved around
from house to house, but always
; was in South Second street or in
Mulberry or Chestnut for ten years
after it was established. Most of
the time it was in the residence of
the postmaster Mr.. Wright was
! the first postmaster TO move it up
town" and he is said to have locat
ed it at Front and Walnut streets
, because the upper ferry" which
was also known as "Maclay's," was
used for the coaches to cross the
, river. This upper" ferry is not
much heard of, but was quite an
enterprise for some years being To-
Gated above State street. Mr..
! Wright was succeeded by his wife.
VINO was given the handsome SAL
airy OF 5000 year, the increase be-
= ing granted her because the State
government having come here in
> 1914, there was u business jump.
: Mrs. Wright is announced in news
papers or 1872 as having moved the
! post office to South Market Square.
She died year or so later and is
given respectful mention in the
o. early newspapers.
James Peacock. one of the found
ers of the Harrisburg Public IL
brary and whose portrait is in the
It present Library, was the third
o newspaper man to become post-
r master of Harrisburg. He publish
v ed the Republican, and was an
: pointed by the promulgator of the
o Monroe Doctrine. He held office
s Tor over twenty years and moved
|. the post office around considerably,
+ the locations having been in Front
?. street near Market, in Second
q street near Walnut, Third and Loc-
t ust, where it was to be located
n years after and finally he bought
@ DO. North Market Square and
4 located the office there. From all
@ accounts Isaac Mckinley continued
= that location, but A. J. Jones NOV
0 ed it to the site of the Market
n Square Presbyterian Church, which
t was then banking and business
d building. John H. Brandt, remem-
bered by older citizens, held the of
s f1ce for time and DIR. George w.
: Porter, who was appointed by
e James Buchanan moved the office
:. to the Porter residence in Market
It street near Fourth. The. post office
: was moved twice under George
d Bergner, the publisher of the Har-
y risburg Telegraph, who took office
e under Lincoln, but remained in
Il Market street. He finally located
it at 314 where it remained many
k years; in fact, until it was located
in the present building. This was
authorized in 1876, construction be-
gun in 1877 and completed in 1882,
being enlarged in the last ten years,
The office was temporarily located
y, in the old P. X. Boyd residence at
"a Third and Locust, northwest cor
ner, during the remodeling.
Il Mr.. Bergner was out of office a
;, year during which General ]. F.
.Knipe held the place. Mr.. Bergner
died after his reappointment and
!, Henry Gilbert filled the office until
- - an agreement could be made upon
= postmaster which fell upon NJ
g w. McAlarney, publisher of the
| t.. -s,t.,, rnIz