I grew up in Dover, Pennsylvania, a suburb of York (of Peppermint Pattie, barbell, and air conditioner fame). I learned in school that York was the first capital of the United States (banners all over the city say so too). My wife grew up in central PA and never heard such a story. Has my hometown written itself a separate history for the sake of ego and (hopefully) tourism, or does it have a credible claim? –Josh Elicker, via e-mail
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It does, but let’s not exaggerate. York wasn’t the first capital; it was the fourth. It wasn’t capital of the United States of America, a usage that wasn’t formalized until 1781, when the Articles of Confederation were ratified. Rather it was capital of the united states, or, to be more accurate (if a lot less catchy), the generally cooperating former English colonies of the north Atlantic seaboard except for Canada. Finally, York was never formally proclaimed the capital; it was merely capital by virtue of the fact that what passed for a national government, the Continental Congress, met there from September 1777 to June 1778. Notwithstanding these quibbles, and the fact that, as other Pennsylvanians will insist on pointing out, it’s now an industrial town better known for barbells, candy, etc, York can legitimately claim to have been one of “the nine capitals of the United States”–as it’s put in the title of a 1948 book in which historian Robert Fortenbaugh charmingly tells the story of York and other erstwhile capitals. Let’s see the swells of Bala Cynwyd top that.
York at the time was not one of your throbbing urban centers, having 1,800 residents, 286 houses, and just over a dozen taverns. Even though there was a war on, affairs of state there were conducted at a leisurely pace–not necessarily a bad thing. As one of their first official acts, delegates resolved that “Congress shall meet precisely at ten o’Clock A.M.[,] sit to one, then adjourn to four, P.M. [presumably in the interest of Lunch]; then to meet and proceed on business.” A lot of us could get used to a schedule like that.
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): illustration/Slug Signorino.
