Editing Harrison County, Indiana (section)

==History==
{{see also| History of Indiana}}
[[File:Southern edge of Swan's Landing.jpg|thumb|Swan's Landing Site]]
Humans first entered what would become Indiana near the end of the [[last ice age]]. This region was of particular value to the early humans because of the abundance of [[flint]]. There is evidence of flint mining in local caves as early as 2000&nbsp;BCE; the stone was used to produce crude tools. Passing migratory tribes frequented the area which was influenced by succeeding groups of peoples including the [[Hopewell culture|Hopewells]] and [[Mississippian culture|Mississippians]].{{Sfn|Dick|2000|p=7}} One flint-working and camping location is the [[Swan's Landing Archeological Site]], one of the most important [[Archaic period in the Americas|Early Archaic]] archaeological sites in eastern North America.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Smith |first=Edward E. |date=1995 |title=The Swan's Landing Site (12Hr304): An Early Archaic (Kirk Horizon) Site in Harrison County, South-Central Indiana |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/20708379 |journal=Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology |volume=20 |issue=2 |pages=192–238 |issn=0146-1109 |jstor=20708379 |access-date=October 6, 2022 |archive-date=October 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006041115/https://www.jstor.org/stable/20708379 |url-status=live }}</ref> Permanent human settlements in the county began with the arrival of American settlers in the last decade of the 18th century.{{Sfn|Dick|2000|p=7}}

The area became part of the United States following its conquest during the [[American Revolutionary War]]. Veterans of the revolution received land grants in the eastern part of the county as part of [[Clark's Grant]]. [[Daniel Boone]] and his brother [[Squire Boone]] were early explorers of the county, entering from Kentucky in the 1780s. [[Harvey Heth]], [[Spier Spencer]], and Edward Smith were among the first to settle in the county beginning in the 1790s. Smith built the first home in the area of [[Corydon, Indiana|Corydon]].{{Sfn|Dick|2000|p=8}}

Harrison County was originally part of [[Knox County, Indiana|Knox County]] and [[Clark County, Indiana|Clark County]] but was separated in 1808. It was the first [[Indiana]] county formed by the [[Indiana Territory|Indiana territorial]] legislature instead of the Governor,{{Sfn|Funk|1969|p=118}} and the fourth to be formed in the future state of Indiana (after Knox and Clark; also [[Dearborn County]] was formed in 1803 when the eastern territory borderline with [[Ohio]] was adjusted to transfer [[Gore (Indiana)|the "Gore"]] to Indiana Territory). Portions of the county were later separated into parts of Crawford, Floyd, Washington, Jackson, Clark, Lawrence, Perry, Scott and Orange Counties.{{Sfn|Roose|1911|p=122}} The county was named for [[William Henry Harrison]], the first governor of [[Indiana Territory]], a General in [[War of 1812]], hero of [[Battle of Tippecanoe|Tippecanoe]], and the 9th [[U.S. President]].{{Sfn|Funk|1969|p=118}} Harrison was the largest land holder in the county at the time and had a small estate at [[Harrison Spring]].{{Sfn|Goodrich|1875|p=560}}
[[File:Squire Boone Caverns burial cave 1.jpg|thumb|Original burial site marker of Squire Boone]]

Squire Boone settled 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, Isaiah, and Daniel (son of Squire) Boone settled in Harrison County's Heth Township during the first decade of the 1800s.{{Sfn|Crayden|1959|p=6}} The county's first church was built by Boone east of present-day [[Laconia, Indiana|Laconia]].{{Sfn|Dick|2000|p=8}} The church, which has been reconstructed, is known as Old Goshen. Jacob Kintner settled near Corydon in about 1810. He was one of the wealthiest settlers and amassed a {{convert|700|acre|km2|adj=on}} tract of land around Corydon, built a large home, and maintained an inn.{{Sfn|Dick|2000|p=10}} [[Paul and Susannah Mitchem]] became [[Quaker]]s and immigrated to Harrison County from [[North Carolina]] in 1814, bringing with them 107&nbsp;slaves whom they freed after arriving. Although some of the former slaves left, the group became one of the largest communities of free black people in the state.{{Sfn|Dick|2000|p=34}}

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 there by the Mauck family 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, leading to a rapid settlement of the area. The county's population more than doubled in the following decade.{{Sfn|Crayden|1959|p=7}}

[[Dennis Pennington]], who lived near [[Lanesville, Indiana|Lanesville]], became one of the county's early leading citizens and speaker of the territory's legislature.{{Sfn|Dick|2000|p=12}} Corydon began competing with other southern Indiana settlements to become the new capital of the territory after its reorganization in 1809. Hostilities broke out in 1811 with the Native American tribes on the frontier, and the territorial capital was moved to Corydon on May 1, 1813, after Pennington suggested that it would be safer than Vincennes.{{Sfn|Dick|2000|p=16}} For the next twelve years, Corydon was the political center of the territory and subsequent state. A state constitution was drafted in Corydon during June 1816 and after statehood (December 1816) the town served as the state capital until 1825.{{Sfn|Goodrich|1875|p=560}}

The first division of the county occurred in 1814 when the northern portion of the county was separated to become Washington County. In 1818 the western part of the county was partitioned off to become Crawford County.{{Sfn|Roose|1911|p=124}} In 1819 Floyd County was created out of the eastern part of the county.{{Sfn|Roose|1911|p=129}} Since that time, Harrison County's eastern border has had minor adjustments through land transactions with Floyd County; the last change occurred in 1968.

The northern part of the county is known as the barrens, named by the early settlers for its scarce timber. At first, settlers preferred the southern areas where wood was available.{{Sfn|Roose|1911|p=16}} The barrens were swept by annual wildfires that prevented the growth of trees. The largest barren ran from the northern edge of Corydon northward to Palmyra, and from the Floyd Knobs in the east, westward to the Blue River. The [[Central Barren]] covered most of the upper middle part of the county. As settlement expanded and farming grew in the early 19th&nbsp;century, settlers found the barrens to be fertile farmland, and they were quickly settled. As settlement increased, the wildfires were stopped and by the start of the 20th&nbsp;century the uninhabited parts of the barrens had become forested and have remained so until modern times.{{Sfn|Roose|1911|p=17-18}}
A large [[Meteorite fall|meteorite]] fell near Buena Vista on March 28, 1859. The impact site and a part of the meteorite have been preserved.{{Sfn|Crayden|1959|p=3}}
[[File:Corydon train wreck1902.jpg|thumb|A train wreck at the Corydon Junction's southern trestle (January 19, 1902)]]

The first Harrison County fair was held in Corydon in 1860; it has been an annual event since then and is the state's longest continuously running fair.{{Sfn|Crayden|1959|p=1}} The county fairground was built in Corydon on Edward Smith's former homesite. The original grandstand burned in 1960 and the county purchased a new grandstand from the minor league baseball team at [[Parkway Field]] in [[Louisville, Kentucky]].{{Sfn|Dick|2000|p=38}}

The only Civil War battle fought in Indiana occurred in Harrison County on July 9, 1863, between the [[Indiana Legion|Harrison County Legion]] and a Confederate group under Brigadier General [[John Hunt Morgan]], during [[Morgan's Raid]].{{Sfn|Funk|1969|p=86}} Morgan crossed the Ohio River into Harrison County in the early hours of daylight, resisted by artillery fire from the Indiana shore and an armed river boat. Confederate artillery returned fire from the opposite shore, and the Legion retreated towards Corydon. The citizens of Mauckport fled the town carrying their valuables.{{Sfn|Funk|1969|p=86}} Morgan landed on the east side of Mauckport with two thousand cavalry and marched north burning homes, farms, and mills.{{Sfn|Funk|1969|p=86}} The county militia made a stand to block his advance on the county seat and the resulting conflict is known as the [[Battle of Corydon]]. The battle was won by the Confederates and the town of Corydon was then sacked and stores were looted and ransomed. The battle left 4 dead, 12 wounded, and 355 captured.{{Sfn|Funk|1969|p=87}} After the battle, Morgan continued into northern Harrison County where he looted the New Salisbury area with the main body of troops. Crandall and Palmyra were robbed and sacked by detachments. His forces left the county the following day; they were eventually defeated and captured by Union Army forces.{{Sfn|Funk|1969|p=87}}
[[File:Corydonwarmememorial.jpg|left|thumb|The Harrison County memorial to the county's war casualties]]

The railroad reached Harrison County in 1869. A line was completed across the northern half of county in 1874 running from Floyd County connecting Crandall and then continuing west into Crawford County.{{Sfn|Crayden|1959|p=11}} A southward extension connecting Corydon to Crandall was completed in 1882. A train wreck killed three in 1902.{{Sfn|Crayden|1959|p=12}} The southern extension connecting Corydon was purchased by the [[Corydon Scenic Railroad Company]] in 1989. It operated as a tourist attraction until its 2003 closing, which ended passenger service in the county.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Longest, David E. |title=Railroad Depots of Southern Indiana |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |year=2005 |isbn=0-7385-3958-9 |page=91}}</ref>

The first county courthouse was a small log building. When Corydon became the territory capital in 1813, county and territorial officials shared the building. By 1816 a stone building had been constructed, and it served as both Harrison County Courthouse and the state capital building until the capital was moved in 1825. As more space was needed, other buildings were constructed to supplement the courthouse. In the 1920s, the latest of these office buildings was razed to make way for a new courthouse; the old building was acquired by the State of Indiana and preserved as the [[Indiana first capitol building|first state capitol building]]. The new courthouse was completed in 1928 at a cost of about $250,000.{{#tag:ref|A $250,000 capital expense in 1928 would be roughly equivalent to $14,500,000 in 2010.<ref>Williamson, Samuel H. (2011). ''Seven Ways to Compute the Relative Value of a U.S. Dollar Amount, 1774 to present''. [http://www.measuringworth.com MeasuringWorth] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170610090500/https://www.measuringworth.com/ |date=June 10, 2017 }}.</ref>|group="n"}} The building was designed by Fowler and Karges of [[Evansville]] and was constructed by J. Fred Beggs and Company of [[Scottsburg, Indiana|Scottsburg]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Counts |first=Will |title=The 92 Magnificent Indiana Courthouses |last2=Jon Dilts |publisher=Indiana University Press |year=1991 |isbn=978-0-253-33638-5 |location=Bloomington, Indiana |pages=68–69}}</ref>{{Sfn|Dick|2000|p=15}}
The [[Harrison-Crawford State Forest]] was started in 1932 when the State of Indiana purchased land in western Harrison County. The {{convert|26000|acre|km2|adj=on}} park is the largest state forest in Indiana and surrounds the [[O'Bannon Woods State Park]], as well as the [[Wyandotte Cave]]s located in eastern Crawford County.
[[File:Walsh Bridge 3.jpg|right|thumb|The Matthew E Welsh Bridge]]

The [[Matthew E. Welsh Bridge]] was completed in 1966 in Mauckport, to connect Harrison County with neighboring [[Meade County, Kentucky|Meade County in Kentucky]]. This is the only bridge over the Ohio River between [[Tell City]] and [[New Albany, Indiana|New Albany]].{{Sfn|Gugin|2006|p=339}} In 1969 Samuel Hays donated the {{convert|311|acre|km2|adj=on}} [[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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hayswood Nature Reserve |url=http://www.harrisoncoparks.com/HNR.html |access-date=February 3, 2010 |publisher=Harrison County Park and Recreation Department |archive-date=July 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729122835/http://www.harrisoncoparks.com/HNR.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Caesars Indiana]] opened a casino river boat, hotel complex, and golf course in 1998, boosting the county's tourism industry. The casino complex was purchased and became Horseshoe Southern Indiana on July 11, 2008.<ref>Harrison County Chamber of Commerce, p. 21.</ref>