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

The Jones House

Photographed by William Pfingsten, March 21, 2008

1. The Jones House Marker

Inscription. On this site, the southeast corner of Second and Market Streets on Market Square, stood the Jones House, a mid-Nineteenth Century Hotel, which later evolved into the larger Commonwealth Hotel and later, the Dauphin Building. It was here that Abraham Lincoln stopped on February 22, 1861, en-route to his inauguration in Washington DC. The President-Elect greeted and spoke to city residents in the Square and went by carriage to the State Capitol Building to address the Pennsylvania Legislature as the guest of strong ally Governor Andrew Gregg Curtin. Although Lincoln was scheduled to stay overnight at the Jones House, threat of an assassin forced his unscheduled early morning departure by way of a more obscure train station outside the city. And it was on this site, in an earlier log building, that George Washington stayed in October of 1794 while traveling to western Pennsylvania to suppress the "Whiskey Insurrection." This log house was later renamed "Washington Inn" in honor of the President's stay. The Jones House, built in 1853, was later known as the Leland Hotel and was subsequently enlarged in the same architectural

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style and renamed the Commonwealth Hotel. A major fire in 1921 resulted in the building's total redesign and conversion to office space. Named the Dauphin Building because it was owned by the former Dauphin Deposit Bank, the building was demolished in 1990 to accommodate the Bank's new headquarters, now the Allfirst Tower.
Photo - Bottom Left
1917 postcard view of the enlarged structure then known as the Commonwealth Hotel.
Photo - Left
1885 view over the old Market Houses of the Jones House, renamed the Leland Hotel.

Erected by The Harrisburg History Project Commissioned by Mayor Stephen R. Reed.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #16 Abraham Lincoln, the Lincoln 1861 Inaugural Train Stops, and the Pennsylvania, The Harrisburg History Project series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is February 1598.

Location. 40° 15.553′ N, 76° 52.887′ W. Marker is in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in Dauphin County. It is in Downtown Harrisburg. It is at the intersection of South 2nd Street and Market Street on South 2nd

Site of Jones House image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Pfingsten, March 21, 2008

2. Site of Jones House

Now M&T Bank.

Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 10 S 2nd St, Harrisburg PA 17101, 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: The Johnston Building & Menaker Building (a few steps from this marker); Market Square Presbyterian Church (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Market Square Presbyterian Church (within shouting distance of this marker); Hilton Harrisburg and Towers (within shouting distance of this marker); Abraham Lincoln (within shouting distance of this marker); The Claster Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Prelude To Gettysburg

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(within shouting distance of this marker); Capital Of The Keystone State Preserved! (within shouting distance of this marker). 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 March 24, 2008, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. This page has been viewed 8,358 times since then and 1,220 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 24, 2008, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland.