City Island

City Island is a mile-long island in the Susquehanna River between Harrisburg and Wormleysburg, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is used mainly for leisure and sports activities. Its previous names have included Turkey Island, Maclay's Island, Forster's Island and Hargast Island. The island can be reached from either side of the Susquehanna River by Market Street Bridge or, from the Harrisburg side and by pedestrians and cyclists only, by Walnut Street Bridge. History The island contains archaeological remains of the Susquehannocks and the Iroquois tribes, who at one time established seasonal settlements here. During the initial development of Harrisburg, the island was only able to be reached by boat or fording in low waters, until 1817 when the Camelback Bridge, site of the present-day Market Street Bridge, was completed. During the American Civil War, Camp Necessity was formed on City Island in 1863 for Union troops to stage additional defense as Confederate troops threatened invasion of the area during the Gettysburg Campaign. Then in 1865, Camp Keystone was formed on the island, as Camp Curtin was overflowing with returning troops. Though originally used for truck farming, amateur games of baseball were played here as early as the 1880s. In 1903, the Harrisburg Athletics professional baseball team and Harrisburg Giants Negro league arrived at Island Park on City Island. Satchel Paige played games at Island Park through the Negro leagues, which were held on the island through 1957. The original Harrisburg Senators played in the Eastern League starting in 1924. Playing its home games at Island Field, the team won the league championship in the 1927, 1928, and 1931 seasons. Babe Ruth famously played a game at Island Park in 1928 when the New York Yankees came to Harrisburg to scrimmage against the original Senators. The Senators played a few more seasons before flood waters destroyed Island Field in 1936, effectively ending Eastern League participation for fifty-one years. In 1940, Harrisburg gained an Interstate League team affiliation with the Pittsburgh Pirates. However, the team remained in the city only until 1943, when it moved to nearby York and renamed the York Pirates.