Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-06-16
Ehrntt1g Gtat.

Jacob r. Miller, whose recollec-
tons of Harrisburg long years age
have frequently appeared in the
Harrisburg Telegraph and has serv-
cd to settle many a question re-
garding locations has furnished us
with some "reminiscences of the old
Capitol Park which are most in
terestlng in view of the start oi
the work of embellishing the States
domain under the comprehensive
Arnold w. Drummer plans. Mr.. Mil.
Ter writes that he set down hi:
recollections because one day "a stiff
argument arose among a number
OF his friends who dropped in o.
him at his office 34S50 Verbel
street. He became p resident
Harrisburg in 1916 when the POI
lation of the State Capital was g.
souls or less than the second
of Harrisburg at the present
AT that time" says Mr..
there was a board fence ali
feet high around the park
Third and Pine streets, j. ny
recollection that there w"
trance gate made of We opo.r, pa
ings. 1t had chain STREET. ',I5
1t with large iron ballaa "ou s.,
close it with a bang. the wesl'
entrance at State streeteIe W. 49,
similar gate. Then oIS
street to North and l Nof'I 70
Fourth and on Four 10 Ine i1ase
State street gate thert ~oJu .J
fence with two gate, one e eL
gates was for wa u aiiio CO.
many a time the WeLe S oeS t. o..
teams engaged in tullhs woou ~
the capitol for fue'ecauoe, 4ea.a-,
ber, there were t. nu oi az,
and no steam h. elIneI' S ~ No
capitol, and corSoou wa9 40 tomr.
Every piece hi 70 pe Jus ~,
feet long to- fit ie llre uUSs yDs ~ .,ls.. .,ls
were Iipbted rom the ceilings.
When 5enois got cold they
wonId gnt - a hot debate just
as tbey aim the time of the
'Buctebo+ ar which was waged
in +bn batI6f our old State Capitol
and ros,'II in some bloody noses
iand ovesi mourning. No powder
wa eteG loyal blood spilled al
+bonc1 ne Governor called out
PLiIado MIA volunteers. At Fourth
Iapd Soh streets there was a gate
tho+ slng outward and then you
,,.o,,I5lscend a flight of steps into
a. pitol yard. This was along
tho flthern line of the park and
marked by a brick wall per-
toT four feet high surmounted by
a tile railing.
This fence ran across to the
ne street entrance gate and near
Il center was another gate leading
hut of the capitol yard to the old
boardwalk down toward Third and
Walnut streets. The State Arsenal
was later located just south OF
this wall. In the early year 1 speak
of. it was an open ground, graVel
and slate hill owned by the State
where at times we held our county
fairs. 1t was Harrisburg's most
famous circus ground and later on
circus tents were pitched up town
and out on the Hill. BY and by.
our Legislature bought an angle or
ground which squared up the park
to Fourth and Walnut. Then start
ing at South street the park ran
down Fourth to Walnut and along
Walnut street to Third. Soon after
this extension of capitol park the
State made short work of the build
ings in the angle, just as 1T has done
in the old Eighth Ward. In time
this was made a fine park Tor tne
tired and weary old citizens TO resi-
in. The old board fence was re,
placed in time by fence OF cas-.
iron cast and erected by my ole
friend, Colonel w. w. jennings
This fence was eight feet high will
fine gates at proper intervals. In'
gates were: Third and Walnut
third and Pine, Third and Stat'
which was also for wagons, Thirt
and North, North and Elder, Nortf
and Fourth, a big gate at East Stat
street. Fourth and South and Fourtl
and Walnut This fence was fol
lowed by erection of one of the fines
monuments, put up in memory o
Pennsylvanians in the Mexican wa
and surrounded by a fence composed
of old muskets. which had on tol
the old style fixed bayonet. Thi
fence was one of the sights of tn
city and attracted great attention
from visitors. Some of them mus
have been used in early wars ant
resembled those issued to us 70
the first battle of Bull Run. 1t wa
hard to say who suffered most from
those guns. the. man in front or tn
man who fired the gun. They coul'
kick like Barnum's old mule. Thi
gun fence was sold to junk men
I think.
The old iron fence about the par
disappeared, itself in the eighties,
think and since that time no fenc
has been about the park. One sec
tion of the iron fence is about tn
arsenal grounds at Eighteenth an
Herr and another at the grave o
John Harris who came here 20
years ago"
One of the big sand dredges use,
in the Susquehanna broke ava
from its moorings near Mccormick
island yesterday in the midst of tn
storm and journeyed down the Sus
nuehanna. It was successful i
negotiating the "riffles' near Senec
street and then slipped around som
grass plots. 1t was heading straigh
for the fleet which is clearing ou
coal and sand at the foot of Kelke
street when It landed nice and fas
ON a bar. Numerous boys went OF
| in boats and inspected the dredg'