Fort Hunter Park - Part 1

Today I took my intermittent explorations northward and visited Fort Hunter Park in Fort Hunter, Pennsylvania.  The park is located on the grounds of its namesake fort, which was built in 1756 to defend against attacks from French colonists and Native Americans.  The fort was abandoned in 1763.  The fort and its land was bought in 1787 by a former soldier named Archibald McAllister, who had served under General George Washington during the American Revolution.  McAllister built his home on the property and converted the area into a farm.  In 1870, a citizen of Harrisburg, PA named Daniel Dick Boas bought the place and eventually willed it to his daughter Helen and her husband John Reily.  Since the Reilys had no children, they later willed it to their nine nephews and nieces.  One of them, Margaret Wister Meigs of Washington, D.C., bought the others out, converted McAllister's former home into a museum, and established a foundation.  The park is now owned jointly by Dauphin County and the Board of Trustees for Fort Hunter.

In 1876, not long after Daniel Boas bought McAllister's farm, the centennial barn was constructed.  I'm pretty sure that it's the largest building in the park.

From 1786 to 1831, over 20 slaves lived and worked at McAllister's farm.  This informational sign tells about the history of slavery in Pennsylvania and how it was gradually abolished.

Near one end of the centennial barn is this corn crib.  It was built above the ground to prevent rodent infestation and includes slats to provide for ventilation.

This farm house, though in the park, is privately owned.

This covered bridge, called the Everhart Bridge, was built in or around 1881 across Little Buffalo Creek in Perry County, PA and purchased in 1941 by the aforementioned Margaret Wister Meigs.  She had it placed near the main house, which had belonged to the aforementioned Archibald McAllister.  It eventually deteriorated and was dismantled and put into storage.  It was later recreated and placed in this location at the eastern side of the park.  This view shows the bridge's south side.

I also took a shot looking through the bridge from the west.

The park includes this stable, made in sections of stone and wood.  You can see part of the centennial barn in the background to the left and part of a tavern house to the right.

The tavern house will be shown in Part 2.  Meanwhile, to learn more about Fort Hunter Park, go to Susquehanna Greenway, Dauphin County's website, and the link in the top line above.