Harrisburg History Center
Dauphin Deposit Trust Building
The Harrisburg 2010 History Center was a temporary local museum with four exhibits designed to educate the public on the history of Dauphin County and Harrisburg, to showcase Harrisburg's SusqueCentennial, and to kick off local activities in celebration of Civil War 150. The History Center was open from April through December of 2010 and was located in the grand interior of the original and former Dauphin Deposit Bank Building at 213 Market Street. Built in the Greek Revival "Temple" style in 1839, the building was in existence in 1860, the SusqueCentennial anniversary year and saw continuous commercial use until it was closed to the public over twenty years ago.
Dauphin Deposit Trust Interior, c1927
The Center was the public presence of the Harrisburg150 Celebration, and the Dauphin County Historical Society and City Archives Collections. A "permanent" exhibit covering the history of Harrisburg and the surrounding area, from Native American occupation through the present time was in place on the perimeter of the gallery throughout the period the museum was open. Four rotating exhibits of varying duration were located in the central area of the gallery.
The first rotating exhibit focused on the early years of the County and Borough of Harrisburg, leading up to Harrisburg's incorporation as a city in 1860. The exhibit opened on April 17, 2010 and set the stage for the two SusqueCentennial exhibits that followed.
The second rotating exhibit featured the stories and artifact collections of a number of the Harrisburg150 Living Legacy Project participants. The Living Legacy Project was the cornerstone of the 2010 SusqueCentennial celebration and the exhibit opened in conjunction with Harrisburg150 Founder's Day weekend and the events formally recognizing the 150 Living Legacies, which was held on June 19th and 20th, 2010. The Living Legacy exhibit was in place from June 19th through July 17th.
The third rotating exhibit was a point-in-time view of Harrisburg in 1860, and the years immediately following. This exhibit was an expansion of a presentation given at the Harris-Cameron Mansion in January 2010, by Dr. Michael Barton, of the Penn State Harrisburg American Studies Program, and was opened from July 31st through October 2nd.
The final exhibit was in place from October 16h through December 11th. It featured the Civil War muster rolls of the United States Colored Troops (USCT) from Pennsylvania and related items. This exhibit coincided with a series of events that celebrated and built on the historic and unique USCT Grand Review, held in Harrisburg in November 1865.
The 2010 Center was open until December 11, 2010 from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Tuesday thru Saturday. School and youth groups had an additional opportunity to schedule a visit in the mornings or on Mondays or Tuesdays. Admission to the Center was free of charge.
The History Center re-opened from May 20 to June 25, 2011 for a special exhibit, Harrisburg: Civil War City, in cooperation with The National Civil War Museum of Harrisburg.