Harrison

History

Harrison was laid out in 1810, named in honor of William Henry Harrison, a decorated general and state legislator and afterward the ninth president of the United States. It was incorporated in 1850 and became a city in 1981. Harrison Township was established in 1853, formerly part of Crosby and Whitewater Township. Among the historic sites in the city's vicinity is the Eighteen Mile House, which was built during the earliest years of the nineteenth century. Harrison was the home of Ohio's fifth governor Othneil Looker. It was one of the few stops in Ohio on the Whitewater Canal, built between 1836 and 1847, which spanned a distance of . On July 13, 1863, Morgan's Raiders, a Confederate cavalry force, invaded. The column passed through taking fresh horses and burning the bridge over the Whitewater River near the southwest part of the town. The first train came to Harrison Township in 1864. In 1882 Harrison Depot was built at West Broadway and Railroad Avenue. It later burned to the ground. Harrison Village Park is the final resting place for a small number of veterans of the Revolutionary War. In the center of the park is a bandstand, built in the early 1930s on the site of a fountain that had been drained and filled in. It seems many children came down with cases of impetigo after spending a hot summer swimming in the fountain full of untreated water. In 1940 the dog track in West Harrison closed due to pressure from the horse racing circuit. Monkeys in silk jackets had been used as jockeys for the dogs. The track had originally opened in 1932, when parimutuel betting was illegal in Indiana. However, during the Depression, heads were turned as the track attracted revenue to the area and was one of the highest paying local jobs at $12 a week. Parts of the city…

Geography

Harrison is located in northwestern Hamilton County and is bordered to the west by the town of West Harrison, Indiana. Interstate 74 passes through the city, east of the downtown area, with access from Exits 1 and 3. I-74 leads southeast to Cincinnati and northwest to Indianapolis. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city of Harrison has a total area of , of which are land and are water. Harrison is adjacent to Miami Whitewater Forest, the second park to join the Hamilton County Park District in 1949. It now spans .

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  13,886
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  13,163
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  11,448
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  11,332
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  10,336
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  10,084
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  9,933
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  9,758

Largest nearby schools

• Colerain High School
  High · Cincinnati · 1,747 students · 22.1:1 ratio
• William Henry Harrison High School
  High · Harrison · 1,166 students · 28.4:1 ratio
• Harrison Middle School
  Middle · Harrison · 1,070 students · 24.9:1 ratio
• John Foster Dulles Elementary School
  Elementary · Cincinnati · 856 students · 26.8:1 ratio
• Three Rivers Elementary
  Elementary · Cleves · 793 students · 21.4:1 ratio
• Crosby Elementary School
  Elementary · Harrison · 785 students · 30.2:1 ratio
• Harrison Elementary School
  Elementary · Harrison · 674 students · 27:1 ratio
• Miami Whitewater Elementary School
  Elementary · Harrison · 670 students · 20.3:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.6 — 2013-07-23
  6 km NNE of Germantown, Kentucky
• M 3.8 — 2004-09-12
  4 km NW of Manilla, Indiana