History of Harrisburg

(The following was graciously contributed by Jill Williamson)

Western expansion brought settlers to this land abundant with natural resources of farmland, timber, coal and water. The first recorded deed for land where Harrisburg sits was entered on September 22, 1821 to John C. Crittendon. Others soon followed. Crittendon sold his four quarter sections to Anthony and Mecie Drane on May 17, 1858. Anthony had operated a farm south of town successfully since 1828. The Dranes recognized the need for area children to receive an education and donated an acre of land for educational purposes on October 10, 1866. A log schoolhouse was erected.

Rail mania soon struck the nation. The Louisiana and Missouri Company purchased a right-of-way in northern Boone County. Immediately, they began surveying, making cuts and gradings, building abutments and trestles over streams, and planning a depot site.  John Woods Harris, owner of the nearby “Model Farm of Missouri,” heard the news of the depot site. He found two partners, W.R. Wilhite and C.E. Sexton, to join him as founders of Harrisburg. The new town was laid out on July 22, 1871 with high expectations. The town prospered in anticipation of the new rail, but to the disappointment of Harrisburg the rail was sold to Chicago and Alton Railroad Company who abandoned plans and moved the rail farther north. This was a near deathblow to the town.

In 1876, Harrisburg had a population of one hundred. The town had two churches; Harrisburg Christian Church and Harrisburg Baptist Church were founded in 1872 and 1887 respectively. Two general stores, J.A. Chambers & Company and Richard Toalson. One of the most important factors in keeping Harrisburg alive was a fine education program. The town had outgrown the log schoolhouse. The Ancient Landmark Masonic Lodge #356 had lost its lodge to a fire and was looking for a new location. The Dranes encouraged the lodge, of which they were members, to join with the directors of Harrisburg School and construct a new building to house the lodge on the second floor and the new school on the first floor. An agreement was struck, and in 1878 they successfully completed the building.

Another influence in Harrisburg’s survival was the coal industry. Small coal operations dotted the area. In 1940, the Hughes Coal Company built a tipple in Harrisburg and ran a strip mining operation just east of town. Although industries such as the railroad and coal companies have come and gone, this community has endured. Harrisburg, today, is one of the few small friendly country towns left in the United States.

More Harrisburg History