John Harris 2nd, NSDAR Patriot Number A051708, is whom the city of Harrisburg is named after; however, the city was settled by John Harris 1st, his father, at a point where the Susquehanna River was easily ferried around 1715 to 1718. John the 2nd laid out the city in 1785 as Harrisburg but the name was changed that same year to Louisbourg in honor of the king of France. In 1791 the name Harrisburg was restored; and in 1812, it replaced Philadelphia as the state’s capital.
