GPS City GuideHarrisburgCommonwealth

Stop 2 of 28 · Harrisburg audio walking tour

Commonwealth

Harrisburg · 1905 · gilded sentinel atop dome

What you'll hear here: about a minute on Commonwealth — how it came to be, who it mattered to, and what to look for while you're standing in front of it.

Look up at Commonwealth, the 14-foot-6-inch gilded statue crowning the dome of the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg. Nicknamed Miss Penn and the Spirit of the Commonwealth, and sometimes called Letitia after the daughter of William Penn, this figure is described as the "symbolic embodiment" of a commonwealth. She stands on a 4-foot (1.2 m) diameter globe and holds a staff in her left hand to symbolize justice; the staff is topped with a garland and an eagle with outstretched wings.

Her right arm is eternally extended in benediction and blessing of the state. Roland Hinton Perry sculpted Commonwealth and she was installed on the dome on May 25, 1905. In the summer of 1998 she was removed for restoration by helicopter and was placed back onto the dome by Skycrane in September of the same year.

You can also find Commonwealth depicted on the Pennsylvania state quarter, released in 1999. From here, notice the 4-foot globe beneath her feet and the staff capped with garland and eagle. Notice the 4-foot globe beneath her feet and the staff capped with garland and eagle.

Where it is

Coordinates
40.26435, -76.88356
Area
Harrisburg
Era
1905 · gilded sentinel atop dome
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Three stops free. No account needed. The audio plays itself as you walk.