Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-04-21
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authorities let the contract for the
construction of the first Capitol of
Pennsylvania, in Harrisburg. This
city was made the Capital by act
of the Legislature of 1910, which
provided for the removal of the Gov-ss
ernment from Lancaster in 1912,
although it was 1873 before every
| thing was settled here. The
! Legislature occupied the Courthouse,
! the big court room being the hall
of the House and the up stairs court
room the Senate. This Courthouse
was torn down in the sixties. 1t
took the Legislature some years after
! the Capital was fixed here to get
down to the business of erecting Il
Capitol. John Harris gave four
acres and William Maclay ten to-
ward the Capitol park, which CEN
ktered about the knoll where the
Capitol now stands. 1t was neces
sary to buy up some lots. The first
appropriation was $4,000, made in
1916, previous appropriations haN-
ing been made to improve the Court
house and to get the Capitol Hill in
to shape for building. In 1919 $7O,-
900 more was appropriated. This
was the final appropriation to start
things, although $4,000 more was
voted in 1920 for the rotunda with
the big sandstone columns and to
| complete the dome, whose appear
ance the older Harrisburgers remem-
Der so well. The actual steps for
building were taken early in 1919,
when the commissioners, William
Findlay, afterwards Governor; Rich
ard NJ. Grain, George Bryan, John
B. Gibson, just becoming famous, and
William Graydon, the latter pro
minent Harrisburger, asked for plans
and bids.
This is the way the result of this
competition for building the Capitol
an event of so much importance to
Harrisburg, was announced by the
leading newspaper of the then young
State Capital, just one century ago.
1t is taken from the Oracle of Dau-
phin under the date of April "a,
1919 and reads:
i STATE CAPITOL
The commissioners authorized
by the late act of Assembly to
receive plans for the State Cap
itol have approved of the one
offered by Mr. stephen Hill, ar
chitect. of this borough, who
has given security for building
the Capitol Mr.. Mills, of Balti-
more received the second pre-
MUM for the next approved
Il plan.
This action of the commissioners
carried with it a premium of $500
for Hill and the building made his
reputation. That he was some
hustler is evidenced by the fact that
the corner stone of the Capitol was
| laid with a great deal of cermonN
on May 81, 1919. and in December
of 1921, the Legislature occupied II.
Mr.. Hill. who did much to improve
the architecture of Harrisburg, had
, an interesting career. He had MARY
land connections and after residing
in several Pennsylvania towns, took
up his home here. In addition to
building the Capitol, he construc-
ted several buildings in this vicinity
and erected as his home the present
residence of the Pennsylvania Rall-
road superintendents, adjoining the
Harrisburg Public Library, on Front
street, at Walnut, and which was
) long the residence of Mrs. Sarah
Haldeman-H -Haly, benefactress of the
Library. His son built the Shakes
peare House, which occupied the
site of the present Harrisburg Tele-
graph building and was noted as
tavern, public hall, school, play
/ house, barracks and theater.
: DIR, RuSSel Is. AFIIlOI, sui VI IitN
, late w. c. Armor, of this city, and
a major in the Medical Corps of the
; Seventy-Seventh Division, in France,
, has returned to his home in Pitts
burgh. Major Armor served
throughout the whole war and went
overseas with the Metropolitan
Division.
Little frankie Musser, son of John
, ! TN
) came into possession of "a beautiful
white rabbit last Friday, as an
: Easter gift from his fond father.
, He toted it all around the neighbor-
hood showing it to friends.
Saturday morning one of them
, met frankie and inquired: "Well,
i, frankie, how's the rabbit"
,, Fine" said frankie, hes start
ed to work"
Flows that?" asked his surprised
friend.
why" replied frankie earnestly
'He laid an egg last night"
: If ever you are fortunate enough
: to receive an invitation to eat plank
; cd shad at the home of Ira E. ulsh,
member of the Legislature, from the
Upper End, don't waste a minute IN
/ accepting. Aside from the fact that
4
. cooks in the Upper End, which is
saying lot for Millersburg is
| town of good cooks as any one who
; knows will tell you, but Representa-
tive Ulsh makes the planks whereon
the fish are cooked. When he is
not driving his big Nash car. or
nursing one of the babies, or selling
real estate, or dealing in grain. or
serving on a committee, or attend
5 ing a session of the Legislature, Mr.
Ulsh occupies his leisure in work
, shop he has rigged up for himself
along the mill race near his hand
some home in the lower end of Mil
) lersburg. Last week he tested his
skill on the making a big plank for
the proper preparation of shad, and
he turned out beauty, with bastnG
bowl followed in the center, handles
on the sides and everything that goes
to make the luxurious "planks' you
see in up-to-da jewelry and house
furnishing stores. Friday night Mrs
Ulsh, ably abetted by Mrs. Harry M.
Fairchild, gave the plank an initiF
ton, and all those who were present
hope Ira will make another plank
soon, providing it shall be tested out
as the first was.
WELL KNOWN PEOPLE