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The Pennsylvania State Capitol, Harrisburg, PA, circa 1910.
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The State Capitol building with landscaped area in front. A monument in the middle is surrounded by landscaped area and many lush trees.

Credit: Courtesy of the Pennsylvania State Archives

A symbol of Pennsylvania's vast wealth and the power of its mighty Republican party, the Pennsylvania capitol building took more than 8 years and $13 million to construct and furnish. At its dedication ceremony in 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt declared it "the handsomest building I ever saw." Cost overruns of more than $4million, however, unleashed a political scandal that dragged on for years.

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