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Harrisburg in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
 

Old Harrisburg Academy / Dixon University Center

 
 
Old Harrisburg Academy/Dixon University Center Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By William Pfingsten, March 21, 2008
1. Old Harrisburg Academy/Dixon University Center Marker
Inscription. Founded in 1784 by John Harris Jr., through profits generated by his Ferry across the Susquehanna, the Harrisburg Academy erected this riverside campus in 1908. The school was officially incorporated through an Act of the State Legislature in 1809 and would become a preeminent private educational institution for boys within the region. The Academy was first located at the John Harris/Simon Cameron Mansion and later at the William Maclay Mansion and Academy annex building at Front and South Streets. Upon the sale of the Maclay property to the Bailey family, the Academy engaged in an aggressive plan to build a comprehensive resident campus that was properly equipped for college preparation. By 1942, declining enrollment resulting from the Great Depression and World War II required a reevaluation of the school's future. This campus was sold to the United States War Department that year for the establishment of an air intelligence school. In 1956, a series of educational consortia established the University Center at this campus offering continuing education courses to the local public, which continues to this day. In 1988, the State System of Higher Education, the oversight organization of Pennsylvania's 14 publicly owned universities, assumed the operation of the Center, subsequently purchased the site in 1991, and through a comprehensive
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campus-wide renovation project in 1993, relocated its operations to its new headquarters building which replaced the old Academy's Hunter Hall. The complex was renamed after Philadelphia philanthropist and founding System chairman, F. Eugene Dixon, Jr.
Top Photo
1940 view of Hunter Hall, the original structure on the Harrisburg Academy Campus later replaced by the State System of Higher Education Headquarters Building.
Bottom Photo
1932 aerial view of the Harrisburg Academy Campus.

 
Erected by The Harrisburg History Project Commissioned by Mayor Stephen R. Reed.
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: EducationWar, World II. In addition, it is included in the Pennsylvania, The Harrisburg History Project series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1784.
 
Location. 40° 17.68′ N, 76° 54.339′ W. Marker is in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in Dauphin County. Marker is on N. Front Street, 0.2 miles south of Graham Street, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Harrisburg PA 17102, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Zembo Shrine Temple (approx. 0.3 miles away); Former William Penn High School (approx. 0.3 miles away); Italian Lake (approx. 0.3 miles away);
Present Headquarters Building from Front Street. image. Click for full size.
Photographed By William Pfingsten, March 21, 2008
2. Present Headquarters Building from Front Street.
Dauphin County Civil War Memorial (approx. 0.4 miles away); Harrisburg (approx. half a mile away); Camp Curtin Fire Company No. 13 (approx. 0.8 miles away); Camp Curtin Memorial-Mitchell United Methodist Church (approx. 1.1 miles away); Camp Curtin (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Harrisburg.
 
Headquarters building from Second Street. image. Click for full size.
Photographed By William Pfingsten, March 21, 2008
3. Headquarters building from Second Street.
Old Harrisburg Academy/Dixon University Center seen from the north image. Click for full size.
Photographed By John K. Robinson, August 17, 2008
4. Old Harrisburg Academy/Dixon University Center seen from the north
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on December 5, 2019. It was originally submitted on March 22, 2008, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. This page has been viewed 2,146 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3. submitted on March 22, 2008, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland.   4. submitted on April 9, 2011, by John K. Robinson of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

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Mar. 18, 2024