125 Years Ago

Herald of Feb. 4, 1897

The State Capitol in Harrisburg was destroyed by a fire that started in the east corner of the Senate wing. The fire had been smoldering for some time, as people reported the smell of burning timber, but could not find the source. The occupants inside the building were not aware of the magnitude of the fire until the dome collapsed, and they began fleeing the building afterward. Firemen arrived on the scene at 1:05 in the afternoon, but by 1:30 the whole building was in flames and the fire department was unable to cope with it. At the time of printing it was unknown if t...