Harris' Ferry

Harris' Ferry is a Pennsylvania historical marker in Dauphin County, dedicated 1970.

Riverfront Park (opposite Harris/Cameron Mansion), S. Front St., Harrisburg (Missing)

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The landing of the historic ferry first licensed in 1733 to John Harris, Sr., was on the river bank here. For over half a century it was a leading crossing for pioneers going West. Nearby is Harris' grave.

This sign is no longer standing.

Maps this old were drawn largely by eye, so places on them can sit miles from where they really are. The pin is ours and marks the marker's location today.

TodayHistorical map

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

Princeton University Library

Historical maps covering this location

1708 · Carte Particuliere de Virginie, Maryland, Pennsilvanie. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1733 · A map of the British Empire in America with the French and Spanish settlements adjacent… (Princeton University Library)
1755 · North America from the French of Mr. D'Anville, improved with the back settlements of… (Digital Commonwealth, Boston Public Library)
1782 · Carte de la Pensylvanie et du Nouveau Jersey (Digital Commonwealth, Boston Public Library)
1792 · A Map Of The State Of Pennsylvania. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

North America from the French of Mr. D'Anville, improved with the back settlements of…, 1755, covering the location of Harris' Ferry, with a pin at the marker's coordinates — North America from the French of Mr. D'Anville, improved with the back settlements of…, 1755, covering this location. Digital Commonwealth, Boston Public Library. The pin is ours, placed from the marker's coordinates.

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For example, one family's tree showed the Articles of Confederation marker in Pennsylvania standing under a mile from where William Gabby lived in the 1760s.

What that marker records spans 1777 to 1789, overlapping William Gabby's years there.

From one family's 77-marker roster

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Marker data: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission via data.pa.gov

Harris' Ferry

Historical maps covering this location

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