The Dauphin County Veteran's Memorial Obelisk, sometimes called the Harrisburg Obelisk, is an obelisk in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania erected from 1866 to 1876 as a tribute to Dauphin County’s Civil War soldiers. Influenced by the classic Roman/Egyptian architecture and not unlike the Washington Monument, it was originally erected in the middle of a park located at the North Second and State Streets intersection of downtown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It stands 110 feet (33.5 meters) high, weighs over 600 tons, and was cut from stone taken from the banks of the nearby Susquehanna River. A stone plaque is inscribed: "To the soldiers of Dauphin County who gave their lives for the life of the Union in the suppression of the rebellion 1861-1865. Erected by their fellow citizens."
![]() The Dauphin County Veteran's Memorial Obelisk as seen in 2022 | |
Coordinates | 40.291583°N 76.900125°W / 40.291583; -76.900125 |
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Location | Third and Division Streets, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania |
Designer | Edward Hudson Worrall |
Material | Granite |
Height | 110 feet (33.5 meters) |
Weight | over 600 tons |
Beginning date | 1867 |
Completion date | 1876 |
Relocated | 1960 |
The surrounding park was gradually subdivided and developed through the years. After years of exposure, the monument became damaged by passing vehicles and eroded by the weather. A decision was made to refurbish it and relocate it. After a thorough cleaning, the monument was moved to its present location in 1960 at Third and Division streets, near the Zembo Shrine Building, the former William Penn High School, and Italian Lake in the Uptown section of Harrisburg.[1][2][3]