Harrisburg’s Market Square is located at the intersection of 2nd and Market Streets. The square was the city’s bustling center of trade and commerce for more than a century. Laid out intentionally for public markets by city founder John Harris Jr. and his surveyor William Maclay in 1785, Market Square was soon filled with stalls where farmers from throughout the area came to offer their crops for sale. As the area’s population grew, so too did Market Square. In 1807, two enclosed market buildings were erected and the variety of goods available for sale expanded. The square’s central location made it an important site for civic events such as political rallies, bonfires, and firemen’s musters. George Washington, the Marquis De Lafayette, Daniel Webster, and Abraham Lincoln also addressed crowds gathered here. As the nature of American commerce changed and transportation improved, Market Square changed. In 1889, the last market building was pulled down to make way for more street traffic.