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Near the capitol is a reservoir, filled from the river by steam power, for supplying the town with water. In the centre of the town, which is regularly laid out, is a "diamond," or public square, upon which stands the market-house.

Harrisburg was incorporated as a borough on the 1st Feb. 1808. The population in 1830, of the borough, was 4,307, and including M'Claysburg, 4,526; and in 1840, 6,020.

The bridge at the end of Market-street, across the Susquehanna-in two parts, which are separated by an island—was erected in 1817, by Mr. Burr, the distinguished bridge architect. It is 2,876 feet long, 40 ft. wide-cost $155,000, of which the state subscribed $90,000. It belongs to a company. A short distance below it, opposite Mulberry-st., is the magnificent bridge of the Cumberland Valley railroad, one mile in length, erected within three or four years past. It awakens interesting associations to stand by the grave of John Harris and look forth upon the river, contrasting, in imagination, the appearance of the solitary trader, and his pack-horse loaded with furs, crossing in a flat at "Harris's ferry" some hundred years since-with the swift "iron horse" puffing and rattling with his long train across that beautiful bridge on an iron road elevated 50 feet above the water,-almost literally a fiery steed flying through the air.

The annexed extracts are copied by permission from the introduction to Mr. H. Napey's Harrisburg Directory.

The first John Harris is said to have been a native of Yorkshire, in England. He was a middle-aged man when he emigrated to America, and he first settled in Philadelphia. He was there married to Esther Say, an English lady, and who was a woman of rather extraordinary energy and capacity. They first moved to Chester county,-thence to (or near to) the mouth of Conoy creek, on the Susquehanna, about the present site of Bainbridge, in Lancaster county,-and finally to the present site of Harrisburg. At this place was born, about the year 1726, his son John Harris, the founder of Harrisburg, and who is said to have been "the first white child born in Pennsylvania, west of the Conewago hills."

About the time of the settlement of John Harris at Harrisburg, Indian towns were existing on the flat near to Squire Wills' stone house, opposite Harrisburg, and at the mouth of the Conedoguinnett and Yellow Breeches creeks. There had been one on the low ground on the river, about the lower line of Harrisburg, and another at the mouth of Paxton creek. These two last are supposed to have been abandoned at the time of his making his settlement. The Indians who resided in this neighborhood, were of the Six Nations; and it is said that at one time, by firing a gun, several hundred warriors could be assembled at the present site of Harrisburg.

John Harris fixed his habitation on the bank of the river, below the grave-yard, and he dug the well now existing there. About twenty years ago the cellar of one of his buildings was visible. He traded extensively with the Indians, and had connected with his house a large range of sheds, which were sometimes literally filled with skins and furs, mostly obtained by him in traffic with the Indians, and stored there by the Indian traders, who brought them from the western country. These skins and furs were carried, at an early day, on pack-horses to Philadelphia. John Harris experienced much difficulty at his first settlement, as his supplies could not be had nearer than Philadelphia, and had thence to be transported on pack-horses to his place of residence. His attention, however, was not confined to trading with the Indians; he engaged extensively in agriculture, and from the statement of old Parson Elder to Wm. Maclay, "he was the first person who introduced the plough on the Susquehanna."

An incident in his life has excited considerable interest, and been the subject of much inquiry: -On one occasion a band of Indians came to his house. Some, or most of them, were intoxicated. They asked for lum, (rum,) as the modern whiskey was not then manufactured in Pennsylvania. Seeing they were already intoxicated, he feared mischief, and refused. They became enraged, and seized and tied him to the mulberry tree to burn him. Whilst they were proceeding to execute their purpose, he was released, after a struggle, by other Indians of the neighborhood, who generally came across the river. How the alarm was given to them, whether by firing a gun or otherwise, or by whom, is not now certainly known. In remembrance of this event, he afterwards directed that on his death he should be buried under the mulberry tree which had been the scene of this adventure. He died in 1748, and his remains still repose, with those of some

of his children, under the shade of his memorable tree. In the words of Parson Elder, as honest a man as ever broke bread." Part of the trunk of this tree is still standing.

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It may be curious now to know that John Harris was once offered, by the Penns, all of the land from the river to Silver Spring, and extending across the Cumberland valley from mountain to mountain, for £5000. He offered £3000, and refused to give more. At his death he owned about 900 acres of land, including the present site of Harrisburg and Maclaysburg, and extending down to the upper line of Fulton's place; also, 200 acres on the opposite shore from Harrisburg, now owned by Messrs. Hummel & Lebkicher, and including the ferry, and Gen. Simpson's place below Yellow Breeches, extending to the South mountain, and including Shriners Island; and 700 or 800 acres at the mouth of Conedoguinnett creek on the upper side, where the old Indian town had once been.

Of Esther, the wife of John Harris, several anecdotes are told which establish her promptness and energy of character. The mansion-house, situated on the river bank, as before mentioned, was surrounded by a stockade for security against the Indians. An English officer was one night at the house, when by accident the gate of the stockade was left unfastened. The officer, clothed in his regimentals, was seated with Mr. Harris and his wife at the table. An Indian entered the gate of the stockade and thrust his rifle through one of the port-holes of the house, and it is supposed pointed it at the officer. The night being damp, the gun simply flashed. Instantly Mrs. Harris blew out the candle, to prevent the Indian aiming a second time, and he retreated. John Harris, jun., the founder of Harrisburg, died 29th July, 1791, and is buried in the graveyard of Paxton church. He was about 65 years of age, and was consequently born at least as early as 1726. Under the will of his father, and by purchase, he became the owner of 700 acres of land, on a part of which Harrisburg is now laid out. It extended up to the lower line of Maclaysburg. He was an active, energetic, and industrious man. He farmed extensively, and also traded with the whites and Indians for skins and furs; and his son, the present Robert Harris, has seen ten or a dozen wagon loads of skins and furs in his father's storehouse, belonging to him and to Indian traders. In his time, Harris's Ferry became a celebrated place. It is said to have been so well known in Ireland, England, and Germany, that letters were directed from those countries "to the care of John Harris, Harris's Ferry, N. America." He was successful in business, and had an extensive acquaintance throughout Pennsylvania.

He had strong faith in the advantages of the position of his property here. It is said, that twenty or more years before the town was laid out, he observed to a gentleman, Mr. Hollenback, who afterwards settled at Wilkesbarre, that this place would become the centre of business in this section of country, and would be the seat of government of Pennsylvania. When the town was laid out in 1785, he conveyed, with other property, to the commissioners for laying out the town-viz., Jacob Awl, Joshua Elder, Andrew Stewart, James Cowden, and William Brownthe four acres of ground on Capitol Hill, to the east of the present state buildings, "in trust for public use, and such public purposes as the Legislature shall hereafter direct."

That he was patriotic, the following incident will establish :-When independence was agitated, he thought the Declaration premature. He feared that the colonies were unequal to the task of combating with Great Britain. But when Independence was declared, the present Robert Harris observes, that his father took his mother aside, and in the presence of his son, read to her the Declaration from a Philadelphia newspaper. When he concluded it, he observed,

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The Susquehannah, and the Cumberland Valley Railroad bridge, are prominent in the foreground. Beyond are seen the old bridge from the

island, the Capitol, Arsenal, and several churches.

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"The act is now done, and we must take sides either for or against the country. The war in which we are about to engage, cannot be carried on without money. Now we have £3,000 in the house, and if you are agreed, I will take the money to Philadelphia and put it into the public treasury to carry on the war. If we succeed in obtaining our independence, we may lose the money as the government may not be able to pay it back-but we will get our land." She agreed; and he carried the money to Philadelphia, and deposited it in the treasury, and took certificates. After the war, he sold these certificates for 17s. 6d. in the pound. After the debt was funded, certificates rose to 25s. in the pound.

The law erecting Dauphin co. and declaring Harris's Ferry the seat of justice, was passed 4th March, 1785. The town of Harrisburg was laid out in the spring of the same year by William Maclay, who was the son-in-law of John Harris. William Maclay, with Robert Morris, afterwards represented Pennsylvania in the first senate of the United States under the constitution.

The ice-flood happened in the winter of 1784-5, and the pumpkin-flood in the fall of 1787. During the ice-flood, the low ground about the grave-yard was covered with water, and the ferryflats were tied to the bars of the cellar windows of the stone house. On that occasion, the wa. ter rose into the first story of Judge Carson's house, above Harrisburg, and a considerable part of the river ran around that house and down Paxton creek. The fences on its route were generally carried away. During the pumpkin-flood, the ground about the grave-yard was also covered with water, and the pumpkins, carried off chiefly from the Yankees in Wyoming valley, were strewed in profusion over the low ground below Harrisburg.

When the town was laid out, the ground above Market-street was chiefly in woods. The present Robert Harris has frequently seen several bears killed in the river in one day. In the fall of the year they would come down from the mountains to the corn-fields, and were quite abundant in the neighborhood.

On one occasion a party of Indians came down to the river to murder the people of this settlement. They formed a camp in a thicket, back of Mr. Elder's mill-dam. They designed falling on the people when at worship in Paxton church. They are supposed to have come on Monday, and after waiting several days they came to the conclusion that the congregation would not assemble, and they went off. They left the settlement by the way of Indiantown gap. On their way off they murdered several persons, and took a prisoner, from whom it was afterwards ascertained that they had been encamped here several days. The late Joshua Elder has seen the encampment. The people of the congregation, before and afterwards, came to the church armed; and Mr. Elder, the pastor, also carried his gun into the pulpit. Mr. Elder was pastor of that church when it was built, about 102 years ago, and preached to that congregation, and in the Derry church, upwards of 60 years. He was colonel of the Paxton Rangers, whose duty it was to keep a look-out for the Indians, and range the settlements, for their protection, from the Blue mountain to the river. The late Judge Bucher's father, who was a clergyman in Lebanon, was also a colonel in the same kind of service. Parson Elder wore a small cocked hat, and such were usually worn by clergymen in his day.

About the year 1793, a fever of a violent character prevailed here, especially among the new settlers or foreigners. At the same time, the yellow fever was prevailing in Philadelphia, and fears were entertained of its introduction into Harrisburg. A patrol was accordingly established at the lower end of the town, to prevent infected persons from Philadelphia coming into it. A considerable number of Irish emigrants died, and some of the citizens; but most families of the place were to some extent afflicted. A mill-dam owned by two men named Landis, was generally thought to be the cause of this sickness. The citizens, after various meetings, resolved (in March, 1795) on its removal; and a subscription was set on foot to raise money to pay the Landises for the property. The site of the mill, dam, and race, had been bought from John Harris. The money raised was tendered to the Landises, who refused it. The citizens then prepared for the forcible removal of the dam, and the Landises threatened to use force to prevent it. The citizens accordingly marched in a body to the dam, on a cold snowy day in March. The owners were there, with several men, armed with guns, threatening to fire. The citizens, however, advanced into the water, and the dam was soon demolished. The Landises threatened a suit, and the citizens handed to them a list of several hundred names to be sued; but the proprietors finally took the money. Moses Gilmore, Stacy Potts, Capt. John Sawyers, Adam Boyd, Robert Harris, John Kean, Samuel Weir, Gen. John A. Hanna, Alexander and Samuel Berryhill, and many others, were active in the above proceedings.

It may be remarked that some citizens of Harrisburg, who refused to contribute to the subscription, were obliged to leave the place. No violence was offered to them, but no one would employ them in their several pursuits, and they at length went elsewhere. The mill was erected about one quarter of a mile below Harrisburg, about as low down as the white house, which is situate on the old mill road and the canal; and the race extended up along (or nearly along) the present route of the Pennsylvania canal, to a lane which ran across to the hill, about the upper line of Mr. Dowding's brick-yard lot, where the dam was erected. There is no house, except the stone house, now standing within the present limits of Harris

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