Student Research on Harrisburg's Old 8th Ward

The core component of the Old 8th Ward Project is student research completed by emerging scholars in the American Studies program at Pennsylvania State University at Harrisburg. Under the tutelage of Professor Michael Barton, students involved with the project are asked to do research in local archives to gain practical experience and to gain an understanding of the wealth of American history yet to be uncovered, much of which can be found within community archives. The research completed ranges from complex analyses of residential and business patterns to simple listings of street residents, and all student work has proven valuable to this project.

For the past several semesters, many students have contributed to a greater understanding of the Old 8th Ward. The research presented below has been completed by Barton's graduate and undergraduate students in AMSTD 534: 19th Century America and in AMSTD 482: Local History. More research is forthcoming, pending transcription. By clicking the links below, student research on the Old 8th Ward will open as pdf files in Adobe Acrobat Reader. These files are only viewable in Adobe Acrobat 5 or higher, and a free version of this program can be downloaded at Adobe Acrobat Reader. Please be patient as some of these papers may take several minutes to download.

References to these papers are encouraged when the proper citation is used. And please note that all data found within these papers has been added into the Resident Directory, Business Directory, and Institution Directory, where applicable.

Business and Industry

• Bailey, Daniel N. "Smokin' Up the 'Bloody Eighth': An Analysis of the Cigar and Tobacco Trade in Harrisburg's Eighth Ward, 1866-1920." (2002).
• Byrd, Danny. "Doctors, Dentists, and Druggists of the Eighth Ward, 1890-1900." (2004).
• Carpenter, Jenna. "Old Eighth Ward Butchers, 1890 to 1917. " (2004) .
• Gilbert, Stephanie Patterson. "Bakers and Confectioners of Harrisburg's Eighth Ward, 1890-1917." (2004; revised 2005).
• Hurst, Julie. "Barbershops in Harrisburg's Old Eighth, 1890 to 1905." (2004; revised 2005).
• Myers, John. "The Butcher Shops of Harrisburg's Old Eighth Ward, 1860-1916." (2004; revised 2005).
• Neitz, Kimberlee. "Dressmakers of Harrisburg's Old Eighth Ward, 1888-1910." (2005).
• Wenrich, Kimberly. "A Study of Carpenters, Builders, and Contractors in the City of Harrisburg's Old Eighth Ward, 1869-1900." (2004).

Churches and Synagogues

• Benson, Arlene. "The Eighth Ward Years of Kesher Israel Synagogue, 1902-1940." (2004).
• Frei, Maureen D. "A History of St. Lawrence German Catholic Church." (2005).

Miscellaneous

• Schlett, Kyle. "Perception and Reality on the Spread of Infection in Harrisburg's Old Eighth Ward, 1895." (2005).

Newspaper Accounts

• Sebestyen, Kimberly. "The Eighth Ward in Harrisburg Telegraph Articles, 1903." (2003) .

Politics

• Chappell, Samuel. "The Fox in the Park: State Senator John E. Fox and the Capitol Park Extension." (2004).

Residents by Street and Block

• Hamann, Andrew. "Residents of Tanners Alley in Harrisburg's Old Eighth Ward, 1839-1866." (2005).
• Hostetter, Kim. "Residents of Short Street in Harrisburg's Old Eighth Ward, 1880-1889." (2005).
• MacPhee, Paul. "The 400 Block of Walnut Street in Harrisburg's Old Eighth Ward, 1890-1893." (2005).
• Mikolic, Frank G. "'The Home of many Devoted and Noble Men and Women': A Look at the Changing Complexion of the Northern Half of Harrisburg's Old Eighth Ward, 1870-1900." (2004).
  • Please note that appendices, which included census data, have been incorporated into the Resident Directory and do not accompany this paper.
• Miller, Jennifer J. "Short Street in Harrisburg's Old Eighth Ward, 1871-1879." (2004).
• Potts, Christopher. "The 500 Block of North Street, 1871-1883." (2002).
• Stanilla, Michael. "The 500 Block of North Street in the Old Eighth Ward, 1876-1883." (2004).

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