The History of Harrisonburg

Ever wonder where Harrisonburg got its name? It was named after Thomas Harrison, the man who settled much of the area in the eighteenth century. His parents came over from England and first settled in New York. In 1737, Harrison and his family moved to the Shenandoah Valley. He built a house on what is now Bruce Street, and laid claim to 12,000 acres of land in what is Rockingham County and Harrisonburg.

 In 1779, Harrison donated two and a half acres of land to build the courthouse, and Harrisonburg officially became a city. The City had been known as “Rocktown,” but the General Assembly decided to name it Harrisonburg since Thomas Harrison donated the land.

Harrisonburg was governed by trustees until 1849, when Harrisonburg elected its first mayor and council. The first mayor of Harrisonburg was Isaac Hardesty. The first City Council had seven members. At the time there were about 200 people living in Harrisonburg. (Today there are five City Council members and 42,780 citizens.)

During the Civil War, troops from both Union and Confederate armies came through Harrisonburg. Harrisonburg was located in the Confederacy, even though the representatives from Harrisonburg had voted against seceding from the Union. Some people in Harrisonburg wanted to stay with the Union, while others wanted to join the Confederacy. At one point during the war, the courthouse was used as a stockade to hold Union soldiers taken prisoner in the Battle of Cross Keys. 

            Many people who moved to Harrisonburg in the nineteenth century were English, German, Irish and Scotch-Irish. In fact, Liberty Street was originally known as German street, and Main Street was originally known as Irish street. Many people who lived in and around Harrisonburg at the time were farmers.

            Since Harrisonburg was founded, there have been seven annexations, or expansions of the city. It is now 17.394 square miles, or 11,132.16 acres, which is less land than Thomas Harrison originally claimed.