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Harrisonville, Missouri
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Harrisonville, Missouri | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Missouri |
| County | Cass |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Kevin W. Wood |
| Area | |
| - Total | 8.7 sq mi (22.6 km²) |
| - Land | 8.6 sq mi (22.4 km²) |
| - Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²) |
| Elevation | 951 ft (290 m) |
| Population | |
| - Total | 8,946 |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 64701 |
| Area code(s) | 816 |
| FIPS code | 29-30610GR2 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0719166GR3 |
| Website: http://ci.harrisonville.mo.us/ | |
Harrisonville is a city in Cass County, Missouri, United States. The population was 8,946 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cass CountyGR6.
Contents |
Harrisonville is located at (38.653592, -94.346915)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.7 square miles (22.6 km²), of which, 8.6 square miles (22.4 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (1.14%) is water.
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 8,946 people, 3,457 households, and 2,302 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,035.2 people per square mile (399.8/km²). There were 3,646 housing units at an average density of 421.9/sq mi (162.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.15% White, 0.97% African American, 0.66% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.39% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.41% of the population.
There were 3,457 households out of which 35.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.6% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $39,498, and the median income for a family was $47,761. Males had a median income of $31,931 versus $22,416 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,280. About 4.7% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.4% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.
Harrisonville played a major role in the Kansas-Missouri Border Wars during the Civil War. This was also the place where Jesse James's relatives spent a lot of time.
- Harrisonville, Missouri is at coordinates Coordinates:
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| Central City | Kansas City, Missouri |  |
| Largest cities (over 100,000 in 2000) | Independence • Kansas City, Kansas • Olathe • Overland Park | |
| Medium-sized cities (10,000 to 100,000 in 2000) | Blue Springs • Belton • Excelsior Springs • Gladstone • Grandview • Lansing • Leawood • Leavenworth • Lee's Summit • Lenexa • Liberty • Merriam • Ottawa • Prairie Village • Raymore • Raytown • Shawnee | |
| Counties | Jackson • Clay • Cass • Platte • Lafayette • Ray • Clinton • Bates • Caldwell • Johnson • Wyandotte • Leavenworth • Miami • Franklin • Linn | |
Harrisonville was first settled in the 1830s by people from Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia (Harrisonville Heritage). In 1835, The Missouri General Assembly established an act appointing three state commissioners to locate a “seat of justice” within five miles of the center of the county (Harrisonville Heritage). In December 1836, Harrisonville was named the county seat of Cass County, though is was not the center of the county. However, it wasn’t until 1837 when Harrisonville received its name. The town was named in honor of Albert G. Harrison, on of the first two U.S. Congressional representatives elected from Missouri (History of Harrisonville). The county surveyor, Martin Rice, surveyed the town in 1837. Harrisonville covered 160 acres, but only had four streets, each running along each side of the town square. Later that same year, Henry F. Baker, from New York, built a log house and opened a general mercantile store, Harrisonville’s first business (Harrisonville Heritage). The New Hope Church was built in 1838 by a Baptist mission (History of Harrisonville). The first school, The Rock Ford School, was established in 1839, demonstrating the importance of education for the early settlers (History of Harrisonville). Harrisonville was first governed by a board of trustees. It was said that the town was too small for its own government. In July 1851, Daniel B. Treadwell, William A. Jack, Squire Allen, John Cummins and Amos B. Palmer were appointed trustees of the town. The trustee from of government was in place in Harrisonville for ten years (Harrisonville Heritage). In 1857, Harrisonville had its first election for mayor and four councilmen (Harrisonville Heritage). There are conflicting accounts about who was the first mayor. On the official city of Harrisonville web site, it states that “S.G. ‘Squire’ Allen was appointed the first mayor of the town” (History of Harrisonville). Henry W. Younger, father of the infamous Cole Younger, was elected mayor in 1859. Harrisonville continued to grow throughout the 1850’s and by the onset of the Civil War its population had grown to 675, which made it the 37th largest town in the state of Missouri (History of Harrisonville). The Civil War took a toll on the ongoing progress of Harrisonville. The town became a place of refuge for Union and Confederate troops. William C. Quantrill, a southern sympathizer and leader of Quantrill’s Raiders, used Cass County as a base to launch raids (Harrisonville Heritage). The Missouri/Kansas border wars continued until 1863, after the raid on Lawrence, Kansas. The U.S. Government stepped in and issued Order No. 11. This order required all people living within one mile of Harrisonville or Pleasant Hill to vacate their homes within fifteen days (History of Harrisonville). Fort Harrisonville was used a Union stronghold in 1863, and also provided protection for loyal Union families during the Civil War (County: Cass). Harrisonville was slow to recover after the Civil War. Most of the town’s buildings were burned down and the population had evacuated (CassCounty.com). It was not until after 1867, when elections were called and municipal rule began to be restored, that Harrisonville began to recover History of Harrisonville). In 1885, the railroad came to the struggling town and things started to change. The railroads gave Harrisonville access to major cities and three depots were built to support the rail lines (History of Harrisonville). The discovery of brick clay in the same year greatly helped the economy. This led to a brick and tile factory to open and most of the wooden buildings were replaced with brick buildings (History of Harrisonville). Gas and coal were another discovery that helped Harrisonville back on its feet. In 1893, downtown Harrisonville was illuminated with thirty gasoline lights (Harrisonville Heritage). The Cass County Courthouse was built of yellow brick in 1897 and stands proudly in the center of the town’s square. The three story building was designed by W.C. Root, a prominent Kansas City architect (History of Harrisonville). Today Harrisonville begins to grow and thrive with its AAA schools and growing businesses.
Works Cited
Harrisonville Heritage Ass’n. Harrisonville, Missouri 1988. History of Harrisonville, Missouri, Cass County. Marceline: Walsworth, 1988. “History of Harrisonville.” Harrisonville, MO – Official Website . 29 March 2007. Harrisonville, MO – Official Website. 9 December 2007 <http://ciharrisonville.mo>. “County: Cass.” Cass County. 27 September 2007. Cass County. 9 December 2007 < http://www.casscounty.com/.>