Dauphin County

Dauphin County is a Pennsylvania historical marker in Harrisburg, Dauphin County, dedicated 1982.

Courthouse, Front & Market Sts., Harrisburg

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Formed March 4, 1785 from part of Lancaster County. The name honors the eldest son of French King Louis XVI. Harrisburg, the county seat, was laid out in 1785 and chartered a city in 1860. Since 1812 it has been the State capital of Pennsylvania.

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.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

Historical maps covering this location

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)
1794 · A new and general map of the middle dominions belonging to the United States of America… (Digital Commonwealth, Boston Public Library)
1795 · Pennsylvania. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1796 · Pennsylvania. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

A Map Of The State Of Pennsylvania, 1792, covering the location of Dauphin County, with a pin at the marker's coordinates — A Map Of The State Of Pennsylvania, 1792, covering this location. David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries. The pin is ours, placed from the marker's coordinates.

Example

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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The marker isn't at this spotOur pin may be off. If you know where it stands, tell us.I couldn't find the markerWe record what the source recorded. We have not been to look.The sign reads differentlyThat would be an error, and we can pass it to the program.The historical map looks wrongThe period map behind the pin, not the marker itself.Something else

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

More markers nearby

Camel Back Bridgesame spot
Market Squareunder 1 mi
Abraham Lincolnunder 1 mi
Eagle Hotelunder 1 mi

On the National Register nearby

Dauphin County Courthouse130 ft
Harrisburg Historic District300 ft

Places within about 300 feet of this marker that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A nearby listing is not always the marker's own subject.