Harrison, Arkansas
Harrison is a city in and the county seat of Boone County, Arkansas, United States. It is named after Marcus LaRue Harrison, a surveyor who laid out the city along Crooked Creek at Stifler Springs. According to 2019 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 13,069, up from 12,943 at the 2010 census and it is the 30th largest city in Arkansas based on official 2019 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. Harrison is the principal city of the Harrison Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Boone and Newton counties.
The community has a history of racism; there were two race riots in the early 20th century and an influx of white supremacist organizations during the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
History
Precolonial history
were the earliest inhabitants of the area, probably beginning with cliff dwellers who lived in caves in the bluffs along the rivers. In later times, the Osage, a Siouan speaking people, were the main tribe in the Ozarks, and one of their larger villages is thought to have been to the east of the present site of Harrison. The Shawnee, Quapaw, and Caddo people were also familiar to the area.The Cherokee arrived around 1816 and did not get along with the Osage. This hostility erupted into a full-scale war in the Ozark Mountains. By the 1830s, both tribes were removed to Indian Territory.
It is possible that the first Europeans to visit the area were some forty followers of Hernando de Soto and that they camped at a Native village on the White River at the mouth of Bear Creek. It is more likely that the discoverers were French hunters or trappers who followed the course of the White River.
19th century
In early 1857, the Baker–Fancher wagon train assembled at Beller's Stand, south of Harrison. On September 11, 1857, approximately 120 members of this wagon train were murdered near Mountain Meadows, Utah Territory, by a local Mormon militia and members of the Paiute Indian tribe. In 1955, a monument to memorialize the victims of the massacre was placed on the Harrison town square.Boone County was organized in 1869, during Reconstruction after the Civil War. Harrison was platted and made the county seat. It is named after Marcus LaRue Harrison, a Union officer who surveyed and platted the town. The town of Harrison was incorporated on March 1, 1876.
20th century
Harrison Race Riots of 1905 and 1909
In 1905 and 1909, white race riots occurred in Harrison, which drove away black residents and established the community as one of hundreds of sundown towns in the country.In 1901, the building of the St. Louis and North Arkansas Railroad through Harrison bolstered the local economy. Economic hardship ensued following the railroad's bankruptcy on July 1, 1905. On October 2, 1905, a white mob breached the Harrison jail, captured two Black prisoners, drove the prisoners outside city limits, whipped them, and threatened them to leave the community. The white mob then went to the Black community and burned their houses and fired guns at their windows with the message that they should leave the town. At least one person, railroad worker George Richards, was murdered during the event. Local law enforcement declined to take action to press charges for the riot.
On January 18, 1909, Charles Stinnett was arrested and charged with the rape of a white woman named Lovett. Although Stinnett testified that he did not assault the woman and only meant to rob her, a jury sentenced him to hang on February 26, 1909. A mob arrived at the jail to lynch Stinnett after learning that Lovett was very ill, and the mob's presence forced many remaining Black residents out of Harrison on January 28, 1909. Stinnett was set to be hanged on March 24, 1909, but his execution was delayed for three hours because he was drunk. On the gallows, Stinnett confessed that he had attempted to rape the woman. He died as a result of strangulation from a failed hanging fifteen minutes, but fall knocked him unconscious and he died "without a struggle".
Later 20th century
The bank robber and convicted murderer Henry Starr was in Harrison on February 18, 1921, when Starr and three companions entered the People's State Bank and robbed it of $6,000.00. During the robbery, Starr was shot by the former president of the bank, William J. Myers. Starr was carried to the town jail, where he died the next morning.On May 7, 1961, heavy rain caused Crooked Creek, immediately south of the downtown business district, to flood the town square and much of the southwestern part of the city. Water levels inside buildings reached. Many small buildings and automobiles were swept away. According to the American Red Cross, four people died, 80 percent of the town's business district was destroyed, and over 300 buildings were damaged or destroyed in losses exceeding $5.4 million.
In 1962, Sam Walton opened his second Walmart store in Harrison.
In 1982, Kingdom Identity Ministries, an anti-gay Christian Identity outreach ministry identified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, was founded in Harrison.
21st century
Harrison's Community Task Force on Race Relations was established in 2003 to "promote diversity and respond to racial-bias accusations against the city". City officials have made efforts to counteract organized racist activity with educational forums and billboards promoting tolerance. They also attempted to downplay the city's racist reputation and improve its image by editing the town's Wikipedia article.In 2014, a peace march and vigil celebrating the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. was held in downtown Harrison, hosted by the Arkansas Martin Luther King Jr. Commission. In December of the same year, a dedication was held for a Confederate monument in Harrison.
In 2017, Mayor Dan Sherrell and Boone County Judge Robert Hathaway signed proclamations recognizing June as Confederate Heritage and History Month.
Kevin Cheri, who became the first African-American employed in the area in 1978, received death threats shortly after his arrival, which prompted him to leave the area. He returned in 2007, and in 2019 was recognized by mayor Jerry Jackson when Harrison issued its first-ever Black History Month proclamation.
In June 2020, a group of around 300 gathered in Harrison to protest police brutality in the murder of George Floyd while 15 people armed with rifles and displaying Confederate and American flags looked on.
the Southern Poverty Law Center has said that Kingdom Identity Ministries has a location in the city.
Geography
U.S. Routes 62, 65, and 412 pass through Harrison. U.S. 65 leads north to Branson, Missouri, and south to Conway, Arkansas. U.S. 62 leads west to Eureka Springs and beyond to Rogers and Bentonville. U.S. 412 leads west to Springdale. U.S. 62 and 412 combined lead east to Mountain Home.According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which is land and, or 0.26%, is water.
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Harrison has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 13,069 people, 5,578 households, and 3,198 families residing in the city.2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 12,943 people and 6,043 housing units in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 96.2% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, and 1.6% from two or more races. 2.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.23.2% of the population was under the age of 18, and 19.0% were 65 years of age or older. Females made up 53.1% of the population, and males made up 46.9% of the population.
The median income for the period 2007–11 for a household in the city was $33,244, and the number of people living below the poverty level was 15.1%. The median value of owner-occupied housing units was $108,700.
Economy
Harrison is home of the general office of FedEx Freight, a leading Less-Than-Load freight carrier. Arkansas Freightways, later renamed to American Freightways, was combined with Viking Freight to become FedEx Freight in February 2001.Major employers
- FedEx Freight Inc.
- North Arkansas Regional Medical Center
- Walmart Inc.
- Pace Industries
- Claridge Products and Equipment, Inc.
- Windstream
- Wabash Wood Products
- North Arkansas College
- WestRock, formerly RockTenn Company
Architecture
Arts and culture
Annual cultural events
Harrison hosts the annual Arkansas Hot Air Balloon races each September, Crawdad Days Music Festival each May, a Harvest Homecoming festival each October, and Christmas celebration in December.Museums and other points of interest
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has recognized the Harrison Courthouse Square Historic District. It contains a large number of the city's original commercial and governmental structures, including the still-used courthouse in the center of the square, the recently refurbished Lyric Theater, and the 1929 Hotel Seville, which underwent a complete restoration in 2008.Ozark Arts Council
The Ozarks Arts Council is a 5013 non-profit organization established in 1996 with the mission "To enrich lives by promoting the arts in Harrison and North Arkansas through exhibitions, performances, and education." It provides administrative support and distributes financial and in-kind donations to its member organizations:- The Theatre Company
- Northark Drama
- Twentieth Century Club
- Woman's Book Club
- Ozark Children's Choir