NOWCAST WGAL News 8 at 5 am
Live Now
Advertisement

Explore Outdoors: Riverfront Park in Harrisburg
Matt Barcaro
Anchor
Explore Outdoors: Riverfront Park in Harrisburg
CONTINUES OUR EXPLORE OUTDOOR SERIES WITH SOME OF THE LESSER-KWNNO FEATURES OF THE PARK. >> IFOU Y’ GVEONE FOR A BIKE RIDE OR WALK IN HARRISBURG CHANCES ARE YOU HAVE COME TO RI VERFNTRO PARK. YOU SOMETIMES FORGET THAT YOU ARE ITHN E TYCI WHEN YOU ARE HERE. IT’S A GREAT PLACE TO EXPLORE OUTDOORS IF YOU KNOW WHERE TO LOOK AND WE ARE HERE TO HELP. RIVERFRONT PARK IS A 4.5 MILE LINEAR PARK MEETING IT IS ALL IN ONE LONG STRETCH. IT WAS PLANNED IN 1901 AS PART OF THE CITY BEAUFUTIL MOVEMENT AND WAS DESIGNED AS THE CENTERPIECE OF HARRISBURG’S PUBLIC PARK SYSTEM. >> CHECK OUT THIS SITE ACRSOS FROM UPMC HARRISONBURG, THE GRAVESITE OF JOHN HARRIS SENIOR, THE FIRST WHITE SETTLER OF WHAT WOULD BECOME HARRISBURG. HIS HOUSE WASUI BLT NOT FAR FROM THE SPOT IN 1719, AND THE TOWN OFAR HRISBURG WAS BUILT AROUND THAT. UPSTREAM FROM HARRISBURG’S GRAVESITE AND DEVELOPED ABOUT TWO CENTURIES AFTER HISEATH D IS ANOTHER SITE WITH HIDDEN HISTORY. IT’S THE SUNKEN GARDENS. HOLMES USED TO BE HERE AND WHAT WAS CONSIDERED HARRIURSBG'’ HARDSCRABBLE NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE LOGGERS LIVED. THE HOMES WERE KNOCKED DOWN TO EXPAND RIVERFRONT PARK. BASEMENTS WERE NEVER FILLED IN, THAT GIVES THE GARDEN ITS SUNKEN LOOK. RIVERFRONT PARK IS FILLED WITH STATUES AND MONUMENTS TO WODRL EVENTS AND THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF HARRISBURG NATIVES. THIS STATUISE CALLED LEST WE FORGET AND IT’S A MEMORIAL FOR HARRISBURG VETERANS OF WORLD WAR I. DID YOU KNOW THAT THE BOULDER THAT THE INFANYTRAN IS ON ACTUALLY CAME FROM LITTLE ROUND TOP AT THE GETTYSRGBU BATTLEFIELD THE ECHO SURELY YOU HAVE SEEN THIS STATUE. IF YOU REALIZED IT’S A STATUE, PRETTY LIFELIKE. THISAN M HAS BEEN SITTING AT THE ENTRANCE OF STATE STREET AND READING HIS NEWSPAPER FOR YEARS NOW. THE SCULPTURE IS CALLED WAITING AND THE MAN WHO MADE IT IS ACTUALLY THE GRANDSON OF THE FOUNDER OF JOHNSON & JOHNSON, BUT APPARENTLY HE COULD NOT CUT IT IN THE FAMILY BUSINESS AND TURN TO ART. NO TRIP TO RIVERFRONT PARK IS COMPLETE WITHOUT A STOP AT ETH RIVER ITSELF. A REMINDER OF JUST HOW MIGHTY IT CAN BE. UNDER THE RAILADRO BRIDGE HERE ARE HEIGHT MEASUREMENTS SHOWING HISTORIC FLOODS TOPPING OUT ALL THE WAY UP TREHE IN 1972. GIVES YOU AN INTERESTING PERSPECTIVE OF THE RIVER AND THE PARK NAMED FOR IT. STORING THE OUTDOORS
Advertisement
Explore Outdoors: Riverfront Park in Harrisburg
Matt Barcaro
Anchor
Harrisburg's Riverfront Park has more than meets the eye. WGAL News 8's Matt Barcaro continues our "Explore Outdoors" series with some of the park's lesser-known features.Riverfront Park runs parallel to the Susquehanna River. It's a 4 1/2 mile linear park, meaning it's all in one long stretch.The park was planned in 1901 as part of the "City Beautiful" movement, and it was designed as the centerpiece of Harrisburg’s public park system.For history older than that, check out a site across from UPMC Harrisburg. It's the gravesite of John Harris Sr., the first white settler of what would become Harrisburg.His house was built not far from this spot in 1719, and the city was eventually built around it.Upstream from Harris's gravesite and developed about two centuries after his death are the Sunken Gardens.Homes used to be there in what was called the city's "Hardscrabble" neighborhood, where loggers lived.The homes were knocked down to expand Riverfront Park, but the basements weren't filled in. That's what gives the garden its sunken look.Riverfront Park is also filled with monuments and statues marking world events and Harrisburg natives' contributions to them.A statue called "Lest We Forget" is a memorial for Harrisburg veterans of World War I. The boulder the statue rests on came from Little Round Top at the Gettysburg Battlefield. At the entrance to State Street, a man has been sitting on a bench and reading the newspaper for years. The life-like sculpture is called "Waiting."The artist who made it, Seward Johnson, was the grandson of the founder of Johnson & Johnson.No trip to Riverfront Park is complete without a stop at the Susquehanna River.A reminder of how mighty the river can be is under the railroad bridge in the Shipoke neighborhood, where markers show historic flood levels.The mark at the top is the flood during Hurricane Agnes in 1972.Send us your suggestionsIf there's a place in the Susquehanna Valley that Matt should check out or an activity he should try, email us at news8@wgal.com.
HARRISBURG, Pa. —

Harrisburg's Riverfront Park has more than meets the eye. WGAL News 8's Matt Barcaro continues our "Explore Outdoors" series with some of the park's lesser-known features.

Advertisement

Riverfront Park runs parallel to the Susquehanna River. It's a 4 1/2 mile linear park, meaning it's all in one long stretch.

The park was planned in 1901 as part of the "City Beautiful" movement, and it was designed as the centerpiece of Harrisburg’s public park system.

For history older than that, check out a site across from UPMC Harrisburg. It's the gravesite of John Harris Sr., the first white settler of what would become Harrisburg.

His house was built not far from this spot in 1719, and the city was eventually built around it.

John Harris Sr. gravesite in Riverfront Park in Harrisburg
WGAL
John Harris Sr. gravesite

Upstream from Harris's gravesite and developed about two centuries after his death are the Sunken Gardens.

Homes used to be there in what was called the city's "Hardscrabble" neighborhood, where loggers lived.

The homes were knocked down to expand Riverfront Park, but the basements weren't filled in. That's what gives the garden its sunken look.

Sunken Gardens in Riverfront Park in Harrisburg.
WGAL
Sunken Gardens

Riverfront Park is also filled with monuments and statues marking world events and Harrisburg natives' contributions to them.

A statue called "Lest We Forget" is a memorial for Harrisburg veterans of World War I. The boulder the statue rests on came from Little Round Top at the Gettysburg Battlefield.

"Lest We Forget" statue in Riverfront Park in Harrisburg
WGAL
"Lest We Forget"

At the entrance to State Street, a man has been sitting on a bench and reading the newspaper for years. The life-like sculpture is called "Waiting."

The artist who made it, Seward Johnson, was the grandson of the founder of Johnson & Johnson.

"Waiting" statue in Riverfront Park in Harrisburg
WGAL
"Waiting"

No trip to Riverfront Park is complete without a stop at the Susquehanna River.

A reminder of how mighty the river can be is under the railroad bridge in the Shipoke neighborhood, where markers show historic flood levels.

The mark at the top is the flood during Hurricane Agnes in 1972.

Send us your suggestions

If there's a place in the Susquehanna Valley that Matt should check out or an activity he should try, email us at news8@wgal.com.