Harrison Arkansas Schools (1860's)

According to the "History of Boone County" published by the Boone County Historical and Railroad Society (1998), the first school located in what is now Harrison, Arkansas was on the south side of Crooked Creek in a small building. Later, when the town of Harrison was being developed, land was needed to build a proper school. At that time, Captain Henry W. Fick's home was located at the corner of Spring St. and Central Avenue - approximately where Harrison's former city hall building now sits.

The first postmaster in the area, Captain Fick was dedicated to developing the town of Harrison and establishing it as the county seat of the newly formed Boone County. To that effort, he generously donated an entire block of land to be used for the town school. Captain Fick's donated property was located on Cherry Street between Stephenson and Central - the site of the current Harrison Schools Administration Building and the Boone County Heritage Museum.

In the late 1860's or 1870's, the first school building was built on this site. A few years later, a second building was added. On March 1, 1876, a certificate of incorporation was officially issued to the town of Harrison, Arkansas.

Source: History of Boone County, Arkansas, 1998, p. 27, 36