Harrison County, Indiana

Infobox U.S. County
county = Harrison County
state = Indiana


map size = 150
founded = 1808
seat = Corydon
area_total_sq_mi =487
area_land_sq_mi =485
area_water_sq_mi =2
area percentage = 0.34%
census yr = 2000
pop = 34325
density_km2 =27
web = harrisoncounty.in.gov|

Harrison County is a county located in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2000 census, the population was 34,325. The county seat is CorydonGR|6. As of 2007, the county had a population of 36,810.

History of Harrison County

Harrison County has a long and interesting history dating back to the late 1770s when the area was captured by George Rogers Clark and added to the territory of the United States during the American Revolutionary War.

Harrison County History 1800-1850

Harrison County was formed in 1808. It was the first Indiana county formed by the Indiana Territory Legislature and not the Governor. The county was created from land in Clark and Knox County. The county originally contained land that is now parts of Crawford, Floyd, Washington, Jackson, Clark, Lawrence, Perry, Scott and Orange Counties. [ [http://home.att.net/~Local_History/Harrison-Co-IN.htm| Harrison County History] ] The county was named for William Henry Harrison, the first governor of Indiana Territory, and later a General in War of 1812, Hero of Tippecanoe, and the 9th U.S. President. Harrison was the largest land holder in the county at the time followed by George Rogers Clark as the second largest. Clark was granted large tracts of land in the county for his service during the Revolutionary War, and Harrison received land for his service as governor of the territory and later for his services in the War of 1812 and the Battle of Tippecanoe. Harrison resided in the county for a period of time before his election as president.cite book|author=De Witt Clinton Goodrich & Charles Richard Tuttle|publisher=R. S. Peale & co.|year=1875|location=Indiana|title=An Illustrated History of the State of Indiana|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=YDIUAAAAYAAJ| pages=560]

Among the first people in what is now Harrison County were Daniel Boone and his brothers, most notably Squire Boone. Squire Boone settled permanently in what is now Boone Township in 1806. He died in 1815 and is buried in a cave near his home, Squire Boone Caverns. James, Isiah, and Daniel (son of Squire) Boone settled in Heth Township during the first decade of the 1800s. [ [http://historic.shcsc.k12.in.us/township/heth/heth.htm Historic Harrison County: Heth Township] ] The county's first church (and one of the first in the sate) was built by Squire Boone to the east of present day Laconia. The church, which has been reconstructed, is known as Old Goshen.

The Harrison County barrens were so named by the early settlers for the lack timber on them. They were large tracts of prairie like land, with only grass and small bushes. For the first decades of settlement, no one would live on the barrens because they were considered too far from the timber needed to build homes, fires, fences, and other necessities. The barrens were also swept by annual field fires, which would burn off most of the growth. The largest barren ran from the northern edge of Corydon northward to Palymra, and from the Floyd Knobs in the east, westward to the Blue River. The Central Barren covered most the upper middle part of the county. As settlement expanded and farming grew in the early nineteenth century, settlers began to discover that because of the fires the barrens were among the most fertile farmlands in the state, and they quickly filled up with landholders. As settlement increased, the settler were able to stop and prevent the wild fires that hindered forest growth and by the start of the 20th century much of the barrens that was uninhabited began to grow up in Forrest, as it has remained until modern times. [cite web|url=http://genealogytrails.com/ind/harrison/history.html|title=Harrison Count History|author=Perrin, H.W.|accessdate=2008-10-04]

The first road was built in Harrison County in 1809 connecting Corydon with Mauckport on the Ohio River. A tow and ferry line was operated in Mauckport bringing settlers into the county from Kentucky. This road and ferry greatly expanded the county's economic viability and ease of access to the outside world which lead to a rapid settlement of the area. The county's population more than doubled in the decade after the road was constructed. [ [http://historic.shcsc.k12.in.us/towns/mauckpor/mauckport.htm| History of Mauckport] ]

On May 1 1813 the territorial capital was moved to Corydon. After statehood Corydon served as the first state capital of Indiana from 1816 to 1825. Since then Corydon has been the county seat of Harrison County.

The first division of the county occurred in 1814 when the northern portion of the county was separated to become Washington County. The county was again divided in 1818 with the western part of the county being separated to become Crawford County. A third division occurred in 1819 when Floyd County was created out of the eastern part of the county. Harrison County's borders have been shifted several times since then but not significantly.

Harrison County History 1850-1900

A large Meteorite fell near Buena Vista in Harrison county on March 28 1859 causing some panic in the area.

in Louisville, Kentucky.

The only civil war battle fought in the State of Indiana occurred in Harrison County on July 9 1863 between the Harrison County Legion and Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan of the Confederate Army during Morgan's Raid. Morgan crossed the Ohio River into Harrison county on the morning of July 9th. His crossing was initially contested by the Harrison County Legion with artillery on the Indiana shore and an armed river boat. After Morgan opened fire with his own batteries from the opposite shore the legion quickly retreated towards Corydon. The Mauckport citizens, having plenty of warning, fled the town with most of the valuables.(His ultimate destination). After the battle Morgan paroled the militia and continued into northern Harrison County where he sacked New Salisbury with the main body of troops. Crandall and Palmyra where sacked by detachments. He camped in New Salisbury the night of July 9th and the following day resumed his march northward and out of the county and towards his eventual defeat and capture.

in 1989 and operated as a tourist attraction until 2003 when it was closed because of financial difficulties. [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=G8sddkoqS-gC&pg=PA90&lpg=PA90&dq=duncan+tunnel+indiana&source=web&ots=XpA5wcCtBN&sig=qbXllQKUHNEiYFq1SiXBEWsjAlE&hl=en#PPA91,M1 Railroad Depots of Southern Indiana, By David E. Longest. Pg 91] ]

Harrison County 1900-2000

In 1925 the new county courthouse (pictured above) was completed and occupied by the county government. Prior to its construction, the first state capitol building had been used as the county courthouse since 1825 when it had been abandoned by the state government in favor of Indianapolis.

The Harrison-Crawford State Forest was created in 1932 when the State of Indiana purchased the land in western Harrison County. The 26,000 acre park in the largest state forest in Indiana. The forestry surrounds the O'Bannon Woods State Park(Formerly the Wyandotte Woods State Recreation Area) and Wyandotte Caves in eastern Crawford County.

.

In 1969 Samuel P Hays donated the 311 acre Hayswood Nature Reserve to the county. It was developed in 1973 by the Harrison County Park Board by adding public facilities to the western part of the preserve. It is the second largest nature reserve in the county.

Caesars Indiana opened a casino river boat, hotel complex, and golf course in 1998. This has added greatly to the County's tourism industry. The casino complex became Horseshoe Southern Indiana on July 11, 2008. Today Harrison County is a thriving community and one of the fastest growing in the state. [ [http://www.hcedcindiana.org/| Harrison County Economic Development Organization] ]

Economy

, and over twenty family physicians.

The county also has a well developed tourism industry. The tourism industry's biggest draws are the historic sites of Corydon, the county's golf courses, the Caesar's Indiana Riverboat Casino and Hotel, and the areas two famous caves, Squire Boone Caverns near Mauckport and Wyandotte Caves in adjoining Crawford County.

Government

The Harrison county government is made up of two bodies.

Government

The county government is a constitutional body, and is granted specific powers by the Constitution of Indiana, and by the Indiana Code.

County Council: The county council is the legislative branch of the county government and controls all the spending and revenue collection in the county. Four representatives are elected from county districts, and three at large. The council members serve four year terms. They are responsible for setting salaries, the annual budget, and special spending. The council also has limited authority to impose local taxes, in the form of an income and property tax that is subject to state level approval, excise taxes, and service taxes.cite web|author=Indiana Code|url=http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title36/ar2/ch3.html |title=Title 36, Article 2, Section 3|accessdate=2008-09-16|publisher=IN.gov] cite web|author= Indiana Code |url= http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title3/ar10/ch2.pdf |title= Title 2, Article 10, Section 2 |accessdate=2008-09-16|publisher=IN.gov]

Board of Commissioners: The executive body of the county is made of a board of three commissioners. The commissioners are elected county-wide, in staggered terms, and each serves a four year term. One of the commissioners, typically the most senior, serves as president. The commissioners are charged with executing the acts legislated by the council, the collection of revenue, and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government.

Court: The county maintains a small claims court that can handle some civil cases. The judge on the court is elected to a term of four years and must be a member of the Indiana Bar Association. The judge is assisted by a constable who is also elected to terms of four years. In some cases, court decisions can be appealed to the state level circuit court.

County Officials: The county has several other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor, and circuit court clerk. Each of these elected officers serve terms of four years and oversee different parts of the county government. Members elected to any county government position are required to declare a party affiliation and be a resident of the county.

County Boards: Several boards are elected and function independently of county government. These include the Lanesville Community School Board, South Harrison Community School Board, and the North Harrison Community School Board. These boards set the rate of the school tax which is exacted from property excise taxes charged on real-estate and motor vehicles. Other board members are appointed by the council and commissioners and some by election, they are the Blue River Commission, Zoning Board, Chamber of Commerce Board, Emergency Management Board, FFOP Task Force, Library Board, River Hills Board, Solid Waste Board, Workforce, and the Gerdon Youth Center Board. [ [http://209.43.125.212/boards/ County Boards] ]

County Taxes: All county tax changes are subject to approval from the Indiana State Government. The current Harrison County Income Tax is 1% of gross income. The income tax is used to fund the county government, there is also taxes on in-house dining and boarding. Property taxes are mostly used by the school districts. There are also taxes to businesses, most notably to Ceaser's Indiana which provides a large source of the county's revenues.

Harrison County is part of Indiana's 9th congressional district and is represented in Congress by Democrat Baron Hill. [cite web|url=http://baronhill.house.gov/district.shtml|title=Conressman Baron Hill|publisher=House.Gov|accessdate=2008-09-12]

Education

The county has three public school districts each with their own independentc school system: [phttp://mustang.doe.state.in.us/SEARCH/s3.cfm?county=31 Indiana Department of Education, Harrison County Schools] ]
*South Harrison Community Schools
**Corydon Central High School, located in Corydon
**Corydon Central Junior High School, located in Corydon
**South Central Junior & Senior High School, located south of Elizabeth
**Corydon Intermediate, located in Corydon
**Corydon Elementary, located in Corydon
**Heth-Washington Elementary, located west of Central
**New Middletown Elementary, located in New Middletown
*North Harrison Community School Corporation
**North Harrison High School, located in Ramsey
**North Harrison Middle School, located in Ramsey
**North Harrison Elementary, located in Ramsey
**Morgan Elementary, located south of Palmyra
*Lanesville Community School Corporation
**Lanesville Junior Senior High School, located in Lanesville
**Lanesville Elementary, located in Lanesville

The county also has several prominent private schools support by local churches:

*Shiloh Holiness ( Pilgrim Holiness),located south of Corydon
*Corydon Christian Academy (Southern Baptist), located in Corydon
*St. John Lutheran School (Lutheran), located south of Lanesville
*Trinity Christian School (Methodist), located in Corydon
*St. Joseph School (Catholic), located west of Lanesville

Demographics

USCensusPop
1810= 3595
1820= 7875
1830= 10273
1840= 12459
1850= 15286
1860= 18521
1870= 19913
1880= 21326
1890= 20786
1900= 21702
1910= 20232
1920= 18656
1930= 17254
1940= 17106
1950= 17858
1960= 19207
1970= 20423
1980= 27276
1990= 29890
2000= 34325
estimate= 36810
estyear= 2007
estref= [http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/files/SUB-EST2005-all.csv Census Population Estimates for 2005] line 25202]
footnote=http://ukcc.uky.edu/~census/21111.txt

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 34,325 people, 12,917 households, and 9,713 families residing in the county. The population density was 71 people per square mile (27/km²). There were 13,699 housing units at an average density of 28 per square mile (11/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.38% White, 0.37% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.18% from other races, and 0.57% from two or more races. 0.96% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 33.3% were of German, 23.9% American, 11.3% Irish and 9.5% English ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 12,917 households out of which 36.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.40% were married couples living together, 8.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.80% were non-families. 20.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.90% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 30.20% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 11.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 99.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $43,423, and the median income for a family was $48,542. Males had a median income of $33,735 versus $24,897 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,643. About 4.90% of families and 6.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.30% of those under age 18 and 9.80% of those age 65 or over.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 487 square miles (1,261 km²), of which 485 square miles (1,257 km²) is land and 2 square miles (4 km²) (0.34%) is water.

Six miles west of Corydon is Harrison Spring, it is sixty feet in diameter, has been sounded over 4000 feet and no bottom has been found, making in the deepest spring in Indiana. It rises from a solid rock in a level spot of land, and it outputs enough water to have turned flour mills in the past. [ [http://www.countyhistory.com/harrison/start.html CountyHistory.com] ] Harrison Spring is the largest spring by volume in Indiana producing over 3 million gallons of water daily. The spring derives its name from William Henry Harrison who once owned the land surrounding the spring.

Harrison County's surface is covered by the "Knobs" in the east. The Ohio River borders the entire southeastern, southern, and southwestern section. Blue River forms the western border with Indian Creek and Buck Creek as the internal water ways.

The western part of the county is preserved as the Harrison-Crawford State Forest and the O'Bannon Woods State Park. The Hayswood Nature Reserve preserves 311 acres on the west side of Corydon. The county has extensive cave systems including Squire Boone Cavernsand the Binkley Cave System, with portions of Wyandotte Caveunder the western part of the county.

Adjacent counties

*Washington County (north)
*Floyd County (east)
*Jefferson County, Kentucky (southeast)
*Hardin County, Kentucky (south)
*Meade County, Kentucky (southwest)
*Crawford County (west)

Cities, towns and census-designated places

Townships

Major highways

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ee also

*Louisville-Jefferson County, KY-IN Metropolitan Statistical Area
*Louisville-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg, KY-IN Combined Statistical Area

References

External links

*cite book
first = Richard L. (editor)
last = Forstall
year = 1996
title = Population of states and counties of the United States: 1790 to 1990 : from the twenty-one decennial censuses
publisher = United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Population Division
id = ISBN 0-934213-48-8
* [http://www.harrisoncounty.in.gov/ Official Harrison County Wesbsite ]
* [http://www.thisisindiana.org/ Harrison County Tourism Website]
* [http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/IN/Harrison/state.html Registered Harrison County Historic Sites]
* [http://mustang.doe.state.in.us/SEARCH/s3.cfm?county=31 Indiana Department of Education, Harrison County Schools]

Other Information