“The Home of many Devoted and Noble Men and Women”: A Look at the Changing Complexion of The Northern Half of Harrisburg’s Old Eighth Ward 1870-1900

Census records, Harrisburg City Directories, and historic maps were analyzed in an attempt to paint a picture of the selected study area. Information gathered included data on the ethnic, economic, and educational attributes of the population. This was done in order to discover if Harrisburg’s Old Eighth Ward was not an area completely inhabited by the lower class but was an area of economic success and stability during the end of the nineteenth century. Results indicate that the study area population steadily grew along with the population of Harrisburg from 1870 to 1900. Pennsylvania-born whites were consistently the majority in the neighborhood. Significant migrations of African-Americans and Russian-born Jews took place that slightly altered the cultural landscape, but neither group totaled more than twenty percent of the population. Former African-American slaves from Maryland and Virginia continued to migrate into the area, peaking in 1880. Russian Jews began appearing around 1890, building a synagogue and opening new businesses within the locale. Data on race and ethnicity displays stability among the populace over a forty-year time span. The economic data from the area provided the most surprising results in the study. Although unskilled labor is predominant, the area displays a high rate of skilled laborers