Fort Hunter, named during the French and Indian War and located north of Harrisburg on the bank of the Susquehanna River, contains many physical remnants of one of its earlier settlers, Archibald McAllister. Although he originally moved to the property in May of 1785, many of the structures he built still exist. Under fascinating layers added by subsequent owners remain McAllister's grand Federal-style Mansion of 1814, his "Tavern House" of circa 1810, an unusual drive-through English style barn of c. 1810, a spring house, and an ice house.
Architecturally these buildings tell historians many things. This was indeed a prosperous area; the buildings are constructed of stone and have physically weathered the tides of changing economies as well as our culture's often cautious disregard for old buildings. The houses are large with spacious hallways, six foot tall windows, and details stylish enough for more urban and sophisticated locales. McAllister, through these structures, speaks strongly about his place in society, but just what was his situation? What business ventures resulted in such a solid development at Fort Hunter in the early 19th century?
Fortunately a family history written in 1898 by Mary Catherine McAllister proves to be reliable, not merely filiopietistic. Her sources survive in the State Archives; her transcriptions prove accurate. These enable a modern researcher to picture the family in some detail.
Recently discovered portraits of Archibald and his wife painted in 1816 confirm the early assertions of wealth and comfort at Fort Hunter.1 They picture a lean intelligent gentleman, with receding grey hair, holding a book and glasses. These objects are proud symbols of an education which only a wealthy gentlemen could afford. His wife is shown as a plump woman, fashionably dressed in brown satin. Additional weight is also indicative of an income above that of basic survival.
The buildings and portraits of Archibald and his wife present an elegant image of them. Yet these images of wealth may only be apparent to an architectural and an historian who, through training, attempt to make assumptions. To create a more complete picture of the McAllisters at Fort Hunter some primary references are needed to verify these conclusions.
Grandfather was a sturdy little man with a voice that exceeded his size as Paul Bunyan towered over a pancake. "Four--by goshens" is one of my earliest memories. It was Grandfather's bid that he proclaimed in a tone ordinarily used by a mule driver in discussing the problem of forward ovement with his braying subordinates.