Harrison was founded when the railroad came to town. It was names after L. LeReu Harrison in 1869, following the civil war, where LeReu was a Union officer. And was incorporated in 1876. Historical buildings include the buildings of Sam Alexander's Pharmacy, the old federal building as most remember as the old post office (that houses many of the county offices now), the People's Bank (now the Coffman Center), former Montgomery Ward building, the Hotel Seville, Boone County Courthouse, and the old jail.
Historical facts: *In 1921, Oklahoma outlaw, bank robber, and convicted murderer Henry Starr (nephew of Belle Starr) with his gang, attempted to rob the People's Bank (now the Coffman Center) in Harrison with three companions. He was shot and wounded by W.J. Myers (the bank president), taken to the jail and died four days later. *May, 1961 Crooked Creek flooded the downtown area, killing 4 people.
A mural of the Harrison flood of May 1961 is displayed on a wall inside of the First National Bank of Berryville building. The artist, Louis Freund from Eureka Springs, was commissioned in 1963, by the bank President, Rabie Rhodes to decorate the wall. The artist researched his topic and depicted actual Harrison residents in his design, compacting events that happened over several blocks up and down West Stephenson and West Central into the mural. In this flood, four people drowned when a 14-foot wall of water swept through downtown Harrison.