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1892 Map of Harrisburg

Name: 1892 Topographic Map of Harrisburg
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1897
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1897

About this map

The Susquehanna River dominates this late-nineteenth-century landscape, acting as a corridor for the massive transportation networks that defined the region's economy. The Pennsylvania Canal parallels the riverbank, showcasing an earlier era of waterborne transit alongside the burgeoning power of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Northern Central Railroad. These routes converge near Harrisburg, where the city’s footprint is shown in detail, including the prominent State Lunatic Asylum and the C.V.R.R. Terminus.

Further north, the geography is dictated by the dramatic ridges of Peters Mountain, Second Mountain, and Blue Mountain. Local industry and commerce are visible at Clark Ferry and within settlements like Halifax and Dauphin. This survey provides a look at the river’s many islands, such as Haddeman Island and Duncan Island, and the critical gap at Heckert Gap where Fishing Creek cuts through the mountains.