The seat of the Pennsylvania government was originally in Philadelphia, then Lancaster and was finally located in Harrisburg in 1812, The current capitol building is the third one, dedicated in 1906. In our travels we have been to several capitol buildings, and to date this one, we felt, was the most impressive capitol we have visited yet. Everywhere we looked was filled with art and each piece had incredible meaning. Our guide shared so much, our head was spinning by the time we left. There is more out there on the web for those interested. But we have provided a few picture that we hope you enjoy. What a surprise and what a beautiful place to visit.
The National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg we felt was done quite well, especially how they were able to reach out to people of all ages. As one works their way through the museum, there are various video shows throughout the museum with somewhere around 10 characters that tell their story from their perspective as the war progresses. Also, there were various places to listen to how the strategy of the different battles influenced the war. All of this was in addition to a large selection of artifacts.
In this museum we were introduced to many new things. Bite the bullet...this came from soldiers biting on a bullet during a surgery. Artillery mounted on railroad cars was first introduced during the civil war. The Gatling Gun was introduced during the Civil war that could shoot an amazing 600 rounds/minute.
Once the civil war ended it appears that no one really anticipated how to get on with life once the slaves were free. There were so many discussions including sending them to develop their own country in Liberia or even their own state. Even Lincoln advocated that the blacks that fought for the Union should be able to vote, but none others. Truly we could see that our country still had a very long hard path to travel. As is so often the case, there are so many details in history that are seldom thought about or missed.
Last the museum had a special exhibit on Robert Smalls. While we had not heard of him prior to us visiting this museum, he seemed like an incredible man. He was both an escaped slave and a civil-war hero and he went on to serve as a congressman during the reconstruction. He is probably best known for seizing control of the steamship Planter and turning her over with her cargo and weapons to the Union. After the war Smalls rose rapidly in politics, serving in the South Carolina house of representatives from 1868-1870 and in the senate from 1870-1874. In 1877, under a clearly politically motivated action, he was left convicted of having accepted a $5,000 bribe and sentenced to 3 years in prison. He was eventually pardoned by the governor and continued to work towards human rights.. His story is interesting and more can be read about Smalls at: Smalls
We so enjoyed our day in Harrisburg and if you visit we highly recommend visiting both the capitol and the National Civil War Museum.
       Pennsylvania Capital Building  Pennsylvania Capital Building  Pennsylvania Capital Building  Pennsylvania Capital Building  Pennsylvania Capital Building  Just about all of the globes in the capitol are cut to to create this unique crisscross pattern when lit..  Pennsylvania Capital Building  Unusual in today's world Pennsylvania Capital Building  Pennsylvania Capital Building    Pennsylvania Capital Building    National Civil War Museum Harrisburg, Penn.  The Zouaves were interesting all by themselves. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zouave National Civil War Museum Harrisburg, Penn.  National Civil War Museum Harrisburg, Penn.   Drummer Boys and buglers were the youngest members of the Civil War units. The youngest drummer on record was just 9 years old.  National War Museum Harrisburg, Pennsylvania |
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