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

Harrisburg Cemetery

Harrisburg

— Civil War Trails —

 
 
Harrisburg Cemetery Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 2, 2019
1. Harrisburg Cemetery Marker
Inscription. Harrisburg Cemetery holds the remains of many famous Pennsylvanians, including those who contributed to the Commonwealth's and the Union's military and anti-slavery efforts prior to, and during, the Civil War. Union and Confederate soldiers wounded in the Battle of Gettysburg, and who later died in Harrisburg hospitals, are interred here.

The statue and grave of Major General John White Geary (1819-1873), who served as Mayor of San Francisco and Governor of both the Kansas Territory and Pennsylvania, is also buried here. During the war, he served with distinction during the Chancellorville, Gettysburg, and Atlanta campaigns.

Harrisburg lawyer and judge Mordecai McKinney (1796-1867), who helped lead the way through adversity in defending local African Americans and fugitive slaves from the South, is also interred here. Born into a slaveholding family, McKinney became a fervent abolitionist who tirelessly worked to improve the cultural life of the African American community in Harrisburg by helping to found the African American Second Presbyterian Church.

Brigadier General Joseph F. Knipe (1824-1901), who assisted in the Union's defense of Harrisburg when threatened by Confederate forces in June 1863, also lies here, as does Simon Cameron (1799-1889), Abraham Lincoln's first secretary of war and longtime
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Erected by Pennsylvania Civil War Trails.
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RRAfrican AmericansCemeteries & Burial SitesWar, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Pennsylvania Civil War Trails series list. A significant historical month for this entry is June 1863.
 
Location. 40° 16.226′ N, 76° 52.339′ W. Marker is in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in Dauphin County. It is in Harrisburg Cemetery. It can be reached from North 13th Street north of Liberty Street, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 515 North 13th Street, Harrisburg PA 17103, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South-Central Pennsylvania, specifically in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, and in the Susquehanna Valley. It is also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: J. Henry Chayn (a few steps from this marker); Harrisburg Cemetery Caretaker's Cottage (within shouting distance of this marker); In Honor of the Revolutionary Soldiers Buried in the Harrisburg Cemetery (within shouting distance of this marker); Samuel F. Keller (within shouting distance of this marker); W. F. Richardson (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Harrisburg Cemetery (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct
Harrisburg Cemetery Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 2, 2019
2. Harrisburg Cemetery Marker
line); Capt. George A. Brooks (about 700 feet away); Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Bridge (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Harrisburg.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on June 24, 2024. It was originally submitted on August 3, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 700 times since then and 54 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on August 3, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
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Jun. 5, 2026