John Harris-Simon Cameron Mansion

On a business trip to Harrisburg and having a few hours to kill before my train back to Pittsburgh, I decided to check out the John Harris-​Simon Cameron Mansion. The mansion is operated by the Dauphin County Historical Society and has served as its headquarters since 1941.
The story of the mansion dates back to the early 1700s with the arrival of the first European settler to the area, John Harris, Sr. An associate of the William Penn family, he received a land grant to sttle here. He started a trading post and later, as the area grew more populous, he began operating a ferry service across the Susquehanna River. He passed away in 1748 and his son John Harris, Jr. took over the family businesses and operated them successfully. John Harris, Jr built the earliest parts of the mansion and upon his death, it passed down to his sons. Robert Harris sold the mansion in 1853 to Thomas Elder, who later built additions to the house.
The mansion later became a women’s college, which eventually went bankrupt. It was then sold to one of the school’s board of directors, Simon Cameron. Born into a poor family, he made his money through hard work, shrewd investments, and some say unethical business deals. He also served in the U.S. Senate and as Secretary of War. Cameron converted the mansion into a grand Victorian mansion in the Italianate style. He added a solarium, walkway, butler’s pantry, and a grand staircase.
I took the guided tour of the place and I could see how Simon Cameron had grand visions of himself. The parlor is more like a small ballroom. You could definitely hold a moderate sized get together in it and have enough room left over for a chamber orchestra.
But if much of the house is done in the Italianate style such as the solarium with its arched windows and murals of Italian vistas, other portions of the house were redone by subsequent owners. One of the bathrooms was redone in an art deco style.
So this is a great place to visit, particularly if you want to soak up a little culture and you don’t have a lot of time.

I found the Mansion and Museum to be very interesting. The mansion is beautiful inside, fully furnished and filled with everyday items from years past to give you an idea of what the place looked like in its prime. You can freely roam about the place and look through all of the many rooms.
If you enjoy looking at old pictures, antiques, and local history then I would definitely recommend checking the place out. It’s amazing how well they have been able to retain the grandeur of the place.

The John Harris & Simon Cameron Mansion & Museum also houses Historical Society of Dauphin County it is pretty awesome, the admission is 7 dollars per person, they have many rooms you can check out. Theres a library, office and bedroom among other rooms. Something neat to check out.