Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-06-17
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evangelist to whose memory sta
tue was unveiled on the campus of
the University of Pennsylvania at
Philadelphia a day or so ago, was
the man to hold a revival here. 1t
can hardly be said that he was the
hrst man to hold services on the
ground where Harrisburg now
stands because some of the devoted
clergymen who ministered to the
congregations of Derry. Conewago
and Paxton undoubtedly came to
The Ferry" for services in the
MONIES of its residents. But there
is well authenticated story of the
VISIT of Whitefcld, which came
down In the Harris family and was
told by the late George Washington
t1arrls' whose memoirs form the
oasls or much interesting local his
tory and upon which several better
known authors have builded, Mr..
Harris said that George Whitefield
made a tour of the Susuuehanna
valley, the Cumberland Valley and
In tact all the territory between our
river and the Delaware at Easton.
including Lancaster, Reading and
other early settlements. He made
John Harris home his headquarters
for this section and is stated to have
repeatedly preached to the people
here and they fiocked from many
quarters to hear him." These SER
mons were delivered along the river
front, probably in what we know as
Harris Park which was the main
place of the settlement Whitefield
is said to have been here about 1741
or 1742 and one story that has been
written into local histories couple
of times says 80 great was the
fascination of his eloquence that
many of the people neglected the
cultivation of their farms and their
fields were left unsown. John
Harris demonstrated with them but
Intellectually. The consequences of
their improvidence were likely to
prove serious since not a few at the
end of the season found themselves
in want. Seeing their destitute
condition Mr.. Harris sent a quantity
of grain to the nearest mill and
gave directions that meal should be
furnished to any of his poor neigh
bors who might apply for it. Thus
were the families of those who had
not listened to the prudent counsel
: of Mr.. Harris saved from distress
by his liberal Kindness" 1t is we'll
established that Whitefeld did much
Il W hNlp III his TO make
| his settlement, which was little more
than a trading hamlet, a law abid-
: ing community Life was pretty
strenuous in this section in those
days with the Indians and rum
both abundant and the settler prob
ably had the evangelist more than
once as his guest on his travels
: through early Pennsylvania.
e Harrisburg has won an important
iCfn Of -I,.. to
as a center of political activity and
its stockade was a bulwark of the
colonists in the French and Indian
, war and Il center of supplies for
y Washington's army in the darkest
hour of the Revolution, a recruiting
e ground for the bold spirits of An
e thony Wayne and a contributor of
| men and money and food for Sulli-
vans punitive expedition. But the
L average man conversant with it's
. stirring early history probably does
Y not know that it was one of the
: places fired by the zeal of the early
: preacher and really possesses a re-
ligious history filled with many an
v incident that should be known to
| the thousands of church goers of
to-day.
: According to the rivermen there
/ have been numerous changes made
e in the bed of the Susquehanna by
. the freshets this spring. In some
{ places grass plots and bars have
e been cut clean away and in more
G than one locality where it was
: planned to do some dredging for
:, profit this spring the scouts have
v discovered the cross currents of the
river have cut down the sand to
t the bed rock. In other places bars
: have been formed, some of them
at odd angles. In one place sand
4 formed in huge triangle behind a
/ comparatively small rock and one
\ place where there is a reef for
= 100 feet there is hardly any sand
+ at all, but pockets of coal were
\ discovered. The river has estab-
q lished several new grass patches be-
= tween Riverside and Steelton, while
;, some of the old islets have all but
!, disappeared as a result of the wash
g of the stream.
at may be aggravating now but
: late this summer when people are
Z able to ride without being lost in
l dust they will appreciate what we
!, are doing now," said George H.
Biles, assistant state highway COM
: missioner, in discussing the opera
5 tions on the Cumberland Valley.
= William Penn and Dauphin-Clarks
. ferry roads.
One can always tell when an air
plane is speeding over the city on
one of the mail trips or practicing
a few stunts on orders from the Mid
dletown army reserve depot by the
footing of the whistles on the river
craft. The men on the steamers
;, and sand dredges get to see the
= planes before anyone else especially
{ as the cross-state fliers follow the
V river and they begin shrieking with
. their whistles. Almost every morn
ing one of the f1iers is to be seen
IL going up the Susquehanna with the
: whistles as a salute.
:
1T The Legislature seems to have lost
none of its popular interest in spite
II OF its prolonged stay in our midst
y and there is scarcely a day that a
delegation of pupils from schools, a
a touring party of teachers or some
n people here on automobile trips do
d not fill the galleries.