Old 8th Ward monument completed, commemorating historic Harrisburg neighborhood

With the installation of the final pieces today, a monument to Harrisburg’s Old 8th Ward is now complete.

A dedication ceremony was held Monday on the state Capitol grounds for the completion of the “A Gathering at the Crossroads: For Such a Time as This” monument.

The monument commemorates the Old 8th Ward, which was a predominantly African American and immigrant neighborhood east of the state Capitol that was removed to make way for what is now the Capitol Complex.

The monument also commemorates the 150th anniversary of the 15th Amendment that gave Black men the right to vote and the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment that granted women’s suffrage.

The monument is located in the K. Leroy Irvis Equality Circle on the South Lawn at Fourth and Walnut streets. It depicts Thomas Chester, Jacob Compton, William Howard Day and Frances E.W. Harper, who lived or spoke in the Old 8th Ward. You can learn more about who they were here.

The monument also includes a pedestal with the names of 100 prominent African American residents of the historic district.

The monument was completed with the addition of the bronze figures of Chester and Compton.

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