Was Harrisburg always the capital of Pennsylvania?

Answer 1

Harrisburg was an ancient Native American crossroads, but the town was first laid out by John Harris, Jr. and William Maclay (later a US Senator) in 1785.

The original site of the state capital was Independence Hall in Philadelphia (1732), but it was moved to Lancaster in 1799. It was finally relocated to Harrisburg in October, 1812, and the first state capitol building completed in 1822.

One impetus for the relocation of the seat of government to the center of the colony was a massacre of Indians in 1763 by the "Paxton Boys", a mob of vigilantes. Their supporters marched on Philadelphia in 1764, but were convinced to turn back at Germantown.

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Answer 2

Harrisburg's site along the Susquehanna River is thought to have been inhabited by Native Americans as early as 3000 BC. Known to the Native Americans as "Peixtin", or "Paxtang", the area was an important resting place and crossroads for Native American traders, as the trails leading from the Delaware to the Ohio rivers, and from the Potomac to the Upper Susquehanna intersected there. The first European contact with Native Americans in Pennsylvania was made by the Englishman, Captain John Smith, who journeyed from Virginia up the Susquehanna River in 1608 and visited with the Susquehanna tribe. In 1719, John Harris, Sr., an English trader, settled here and 14 years later secured grants of 800 acres (3.2 km2) in this vicinity. In 1785, John Harris, Jr. made plans to lay out a town on his father's land, which he named Harrisburg. In the spring of 1785, the town was formally surveyed by William Maclay, who was a son-in-law of John Harris, Sr. In 1791, Harrisburg became incorporated and was named the Pennsylvania state capital in October 1812,and has been since. (Wikipedia)

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Answer 3

No the original state capital was in Philadelphia and then Lancaster was the Capital from 1799 until 1812.

Answer 4

No. Philadelphia was the first state capital, then Lancaster and in 1812 Harrisburg.

Answer 5

No it was located in Philadelphia then Lancaster and Harrisburg in 1812.

Answer 6

yes, it was the capital for 117 years until it was moved to Lancaster.