How To Find A Native Fishing Village, A Fort, A Canal System, And A Service Station At One Place Fort Hunter Mansion And Park
Fort Hunter Mansion and Park is just outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The history of the area goes back over 9,000 years as a fishing village for Native Americans to a grist and mill settlement to a Fort to frontier village to part of the Pennsylvania canal system to a dairy farm. A walk around this park is a loop into history. Print a walking tour map before you go as they may or may not have one available.
Before the Europeans invaded the area, the land was populated for over 9,000 years by Native Americans as a fishing village. Many artifacts have been collected at Fort Hunter and an ongoing archeological study finds more all the time.
In 1725, the land was owned by Benjamin Chambers and had a grist and saw mills developed on them. Upon his death, his brother in law, Samuel Hunter become the owner and the settlement grow to became Hunter’s Mill.
Around 1755, the British built small forts from Harris Ferry, which is now Harrisburg, to Fort Augusta in Sunbury for the French and Indian War. Fort Hunter was one of these forts. The Fort stood about the same place as the Mansion overlooking the river but was left to decay in 1763.
In 1787, after fighting in the Revolutionary Army under George Washington, Captain Archibald McAllister bought the land with the abandoned fort, Hunter’s mill, and farm. He would successfully grow the site into a frontier village.
The Mansion would be built in three piece over time. The middle would be the first which was built in 1786 and served as the first house for Captain McAllister. In 1814, he would expand his house to include the front part. The stones for both were quarried locally.
In 1870, Daniel Dick Boas bought the property would expand it with a wooden addition. Upon his death, he left it to his daughter and her husband, Helen and John W. Reily who would have a dairy farm on the land for over 50 years.
The vegetable garden next to the Mansion help keep the Mansion self sufficient. During Captain McAllister ownership, over twenty slaves would work making soap, keeping the house, tending the farm, and other duties as assigned. He was the largest slave owner in the area.
The known slave are listed on a marking at Fort Hunter. The Craig’s family, the Jenkin’s family, Cato, Isaac, Judy, Mary, and Ned are some of those listed. The park has also found several unmarked graves in resent years which are believed to be those of African Americans.
In 1780, the Gradual Emancipation Law allowed for the eventual freedom of the children of enslaved persons in Pennsylvania. The law allowed an child born after 1780 to be free by the age of 28.
Slavery was not just a Southern thing during the beginning of American history slavery was throughout the United States and the colonies. But the Northern part of America was less in need of the labor as the years progressed. Therefore laws to allow slave their freedom were passed by the early 1800s in the North in most states.
Captain McAllister was considered the “Practical Farmer” and built a tavern to sell liquor, accommodate travelers overnight, and to be used as a community center for farmers in the area. It would later be turned into a home for the worker on the Dairy and farm hands.
He would also construct a drive through stable which would later include a chicken coop and storage area.
The grounds also include the Spring House which keep spring water clean and used as a refrigeration system before refrigeration. In addition, the grounds had an ice house which during the winter ice would be collected from the river for use during the summer months.
In 1833, Captain John McAllister would purchase his father estate. He would work to increase the lands value with a canal which made travel from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh take only three days. Before the canal, this was a seven day trip.
The canal would operated from 1833 to 1900. During that time, noted author Charles Dickens would arrive at Fort Hunter during his travels and comment on his visit. The park has a wonderful trail along the canal with great signage which tells the story of travel in the area from the Native America trail which would be widen for wagons to railroad to highways.
By 1852, railroads would be take over and cross the Rockville Bridge partly show behind the train. Note: This is on private property across the street from the park. I am not sure if someone lives here or if it is rented out like an Airbnb but it is not open to the public.
The Rockville Bridge was built between 1900 and 1902. It was considered one of the seven wonders of the modern world at the time. It is the longest stone masonry arch railroad bridge in the world. It has 48 arches and is 3,820 long. It was build to replace the an iron bridge which was built in 1877 to replace a wooden bridge that had been built between 1847 and 1849.
The Susquehanna River that flows under the bridge is 444 miles long, one of the world oldest rivers, the 16th largest and longest non navigable in the United States. It starts in Otsego Lake in Cooperstown, NY and goes all the way to Havre de Grace, MD where it empties out into the Chesapeake Bay.
This area of the river is also great for fishing. Plus for bird watchers, during the late winter and early spring, several different species of ducks, geese, and loons can be found. During the spring, herons and egrets nest are in the area but flycatchers, vireos, warblers, and orioles are a few others that you can see. During the summer, kingfishers, gulls, tree swallows, and others birds are all around.
By 1870, Daniel Dick Boas bought the Fort to use as a farm and a summer home. He would build the dairy barn in 1876 but he also fix up the other buildings around the park. His daughter, Helen and her husband would move to the farm upon their marriage in 1887 and live their until their deaths. They would increase the land from 150 acres to 1500 acres during their lives.
Because Helen did not have any children, the farm was left to her seven nieces and nephews. In 1933, Margeret Wister Meigs would use her inherited part and purchase the other share from her family to preserve it for history and create a museum of American History. Her four children would then donate it to Dauphin County in 1980.
In 1940, the grounds would get another historical item. The Everhart Covered Bridge which was built about 1881. It original covered Little Buffalo Creek in Perry County but was going to be demolished.
Mrs. Meigs bought the bridge and had it moved to the property near the Mansion. By 1980, the bridge was recreated due to rot but the new bridge now sits across the canal.
The last structure to be moved to the property was in 2009. It was built in 1885, on land donated by Henrietta McAllister who had married the Captain’s grandson. Original, the church was the Fishing Creek Methodist Episcopal Church but through several church mergers became the Heckton United Methodist Church.
One of the last businesses built was the Fort Hunter Station in 1929. It was a gas station with a restaurant, tourist cabins, miniature golf course, and a beer garden in back. It is just off to the side of the park.
The park gives tours and has different event throughout the year. It is a wonderful place to spend time or just for a quick walk around to learn the history. It was very refreshing when I was there.
In addition, if you like to bike, this is a great place to park to ride the 20 mile loop around Harrisburg. The loop is called the Capital Area Greenbelt which is a mixture of parks, wooded areas, urban, and residential areas. Most of the trail is paved but parts are gravel or crushed stone.
Books
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The two books above I recommend. Both are on my summer reading list. These books are not about this Fort but it is about the area and the reasons that Fort Hunter was started and the effects of the French and Indian War.
An Historical Account of the Rise, Progress and Present State of the Canal Navigation in Pennsylvania was written in 1795. It can be viewed for free at Evens Early American Imprint Collection. It was product by the Schuylkill and Susquehanna Canal Company to get grants from the State of Pennsylvania. Therefore, it was a product of both truth and advertisement. But this is how laws and grants come to be both then and today. Check the free one out before buying.