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Small City Adventures

map marker Harrisburg, PA

Scavenger hunts & walking tours to deepen your exploration of Harrisburg city

The website is live! Click here to book a tour or scavenger hunt.

Research:

The links below will bring you to some of my online sources and other fun stories and videos, which you can use to continue diving into the history of Harrisburg. If you know other helpful sources not listed here, I would love to explore them!

General Resources

Harrisburg Historical - a project of the Digital Harrisburg Initiative
PA State Archives (Digital and In-Person) - fantastic photo collections!
The Burg - Monthly local news, including history and culture articles
Historic Harrisburg Association - especially helpful for architecture and events
Books

Indigenous history, Pextin Settlement

See the territory of indigenous ethnic groups [Native Land Digital]
Native Americans in the Susquehanna River Valley: an Archaelogical Survey
Susquehannock farming [Lancaster online]
Winter for the Susquehannock
Native Landscape
Ghost River: The Fall and Rise of the Conestoga [graphic novel retelling]

1700s - Ferry to Town: European settlement, Conflicts, Genocide

John Smith's exploration
Digital Paxton (1763 Conestoga massacre and subsequent Pamphlet War)
Why does PA's state museum have the remains of hundreds of Native Americans?

1790s - 1840s: Town to Capital