Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Served as U.S. Capital for One Day in 1777

On September 27, 1777, the Second Continental Congress convened in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, making the city the third capital of the United States for a single day. The move followed a warning from Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Hamilton that the British were about to capture Philadelphia. In a letter dated September 18, 1777, Hamilton urged Congress to flee immediately. Delegates, led by John Hancock, traveled a circuitous 180-mile route to Lancaster, arriving with government records. They met for about three hours in the courthouse, discussed routine war matters, and resolved to relocate to York, across the Susquehanna River. The British occupied Philadelphia the day before, on September 26. Lancaster's brief tenure went largely unnoticed at the time, but today the city celebrates an annual Capital Day. Historian Adam Zurn notes Lancaster was the third capital and sheltered Congress under imminent threat. Stephanie Townrow of LancasterHistory explains the decision to move again was based on the ease of British access. The courthouse burned down in 1784 (or 1786), but a Windsor chair and a Pennsylvania coat of arms from 1777 survive at LancasterHistory. This year's Capital Day is scheduled for September 26, the day before the 249th anniversary.