On September 27, 1777, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, became the capital of the United States.
It happened suddenly, during one of the most dangerous moments of the American Revolution. After General George Washington's army was defeated at the Battle of Brandywine, British forces marched toward Philadelphia, forcing the Continental Congress to flee the city in haste. Within days, the young nation's government arrived in Lancaster and convened inside the county courthouse in the center of town.
The meeting lasted only a single day before Congress decided Lancaster was still too close to the advancing British army and moved farther west to York. Yet that brief session secured Lancaster's unique place in American history: for one extraordinary day, it served as the capital of the United States.
Capital Day: Lancaster and the Revolution tells the dramatic story behind that forgotten moment.
Beginning with the British campaign against Philadelphia, this book follows the chain of events that pushed the Revolution toward crisis: General William Howe's long voyage from New York to the Chesapeake, the landing at Head of Elk, the fight at Cooch's Bridge, the Battle of Brandywine, Hamilton's urgent warning, and the hurried evacuation of Congress from Philadelphia.
From there, the story follows the delegates, refugees, records, and symbols of government as they moved west across Pennsylvania and into Lancaster. Readers will step inside the courthouse where John Hancock called Congress to order, learn what business was conducted that day, and discover why the government quickly moved on.
Along the way, the book introduces the men who gathered in Lancaster that morning, including famous founders such as John Adams, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Robert Morris, and Richard Henry Lee, as well as lesser-known delegates whose lives and decisions helped shape the course of the Revolution. It also explores the notable absence of George Ross, Lancaster's own signer of the Declaration of Independence, and places Lancaster's one-day capital status within the larger story of the nine cities that have served as capitals of the United States.
Inside this book, you will discover:
- Why the British targeted Philadelphia in 1777
- How Washington tried to stop Howe's advance
- The military crisis that forced Congress to flee
- The hurried journey that brought the nation's leaders to Lancaster
- What happened inside Lancaster's courthouse on September 27, 1777
- Who was present when Congress met that day
- Why Congress left for York after only one session
- How Lancaster fits into the larger story of America's nine capitals
Today, the spot where Congress met is marked in the center of Lancaster's Penn Square, where the Soldiers and Sailors Monument now stands. Thousands pass through the square each year, often unaware that the American government once gathered there in a moment of fear, uncertainty, and resolve.
For most Americans, this remarkable story remains almost unknown. Yet for one extraordinary day in 1777, the road to American independence ran straight through Lancaster.
