The "Capital Day, Capital Day" Story

It was an ordinary day.  The daily newspaper proclaimed on the front page "Happy 240th, Lancaster".  So what's that all about?  Well, I have reported this before on my blog, but I must tell the story once again, since I have found the day to be a feather in the cap of my home town of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  

Lancaster's Court House as it appeared in 1777.

It was on September 27, 1777 during the American Revolutionary War, that Lancaster became the Capital of the United States...just for a day!  At the time Philadelphia was our nation's Capital, having left Baltimore in February of 1777.  British General William Howe and about 15,000 British troops began advancing on Baltimore after landing at the northern end of the Chesapeake Bay in late August and forcing Congress to head to Philadelphia.  And then, after the British defeated the Americans in the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777,  Congress began to realize it had to flee Philadelphia to escape the British once again.  It was decided to head west and Lancaster was the obvious city for Congress to flee so as to keep the government running (no pun intended).  Wagons were used to transport important Congressional papers and the wagons, as well as individual congressmen, took a circuitous route via horse and wagon through Bethlehem and Reading to avoid the British before arriving in Lancaster.  

Another view of Lancaster's Courthouse in 1777.

Enough members of Congress arrived in Lancaster to constitute a quorum so on September 27, Congress was called to order in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Those said to be in attendance were John Hancock, Samuel Adams, Richard Henry Lee and Charles Carroll.  All business conducted that day was military related.  It was decided to cooperate with General Washington in devising and carrying into execution the most effectual measures for supplying the Army.  The meeting was adjourned with all agreeing to meet in York, Pennsylvania on September 30, 1977.  It was thought that the mighty Susquehanna River would be a safe buffer for Congress, thus their decision that evening to move west to York, PA.  Since that time in history Lancaster has been celebrating "Capital Day" on Sept., 27.  A city resident, Matt Johnson, has taken it upon himself to make the day a festival day for all Lancastrians.  A few years ago he composed a song known as "Capital Day, Capital Day."  Lancaster's Mayor Rick Gray is known to sing the song as a part of the celebration.  Rick and I are both members of St. James Episcopal Church, but Rick was never a choir member, so I have no idea how well he sings the song.  The day is a festive celebration of Lancaster being our nation's capital for but one day in history.  Something that not many cities in our United States can claim.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary day.

This is a chair that was used on September 27, 1777 with Lancaster was the Capital of the United States.