Old Pennsylvania Railroad Station

Harrisburg grew from its earliest days because of its strategic location as a gateway to western expansion, becoming one of the most important inland centers of U.S. transportation and trade. As rail lines developed along the same routes as earlier canal systems, they converged in downtown Harrisburg. The original portion of the present station opened on November 23, 1887 at 8:00 p.m. Built of pressed laid brick in red mortar, Hummelstown Brownstone, and terra cotta trim, it cost $206,261. The complex was expanded in 1902 and 1910. Built by the Pennsylvania Railroad, which established major operations in Harrisburg, it was the fourth train station on this site. The first was built in 1837 by a rail forerunner, and it was followed by two facilities in 1849 and 1857, both operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad. Queen Anne in style, the present building served as a hub for millions of rail passengers over more than a century. In 1922, during railroading's Golden Years, more than 100 trains arrived and departed there each day. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the station, now the Harrisburg Transportation Center, is especially distinguished by its lofty train sheds, a rarity in the United States, and by a thorough restoration that presents a fitting welcome to the city beyond. The predecessor to the present station was also the site of Lincoln's Funeral Train in 1865.

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania · United States