Harrisburg (originally Harrisburgh, shortened to Harrisburg in 1892) is a community now located within the city of

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, Texas. The community is located east of

Downtown Houston Downtown is the largest central business district in the city of Houston and the largest in the state of Texas, located near the geographic center of the metropolitan area at the confluence of Interstate 10 in Texas, Interstate 10, Interstate 45 ...

, south of the Brays Bayou and Buffalo Bayou junction and west of Brady's Island. It was founded before 1825 on the eastern stretches of the

Buffalo Bayou Buffalo Bayou is a slow-moving river which flows through Houston in Harris County, Texas. Formed 18,000 years ago, it has its source in the prairie surrounding Katy, Texas, Katy, Fort Bend County, Texas, Fort Bend County, and flows approximately ...

in present-day

Harris County, Texas Harris County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 4,731,145, and was estimated to be 5,009,302 in 2024, making it the List of counties in Texas, most populous cou ...

, on land belonging to John Richardson Harris. In 1926, Harrisburg was annexed into the city of

. The original name of Harris County was ''Harrisburg (Harrisburgh) County'' until it was shortened after the demise of the ''City of Harrisburg''. Historical markers at the John Richardson Harris site tell of General Santa Anna's razing the town as he chased

Sam Houston Samuel Houston (, ; March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American general and statesman who played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution. He served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas and was one of the first two indi ...

and his retreating army just before they reached Lynch's Ferry.

History

Mexican Texas

Harrisburg was named ''Harrisburg'' by its founder, John Richardson Harris. Harris named the town after both himself and

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg ( ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,099 as of 2020, Harrisburg is the ninth-most populous city in Pennsylvania. It is the larger of the two pr ...

, which had been named after his great-grandfather. Harris hired Frank Johnson to survey a town site there in 1826. Harrisburg was located at the mouth of Bray's Bayou at Buffalo Bayou. In 1829, Harris established a home and a trading post, where he also started building a steam mill while in partnership with his brothers, David Harris and William P. Harris. John Richardson Harris traveled to

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

for parts needed to complete his machinery, but contracted yellow fever and died there. The two brothers continued to reside in and maintain the businesses in Harrisburg. John Richardson Harris was survived by a wife and children, who were residing in

Upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region of New York (state), New York that lies north and northwest of the New York metropolitan area, New York City metropolitan area of downstate New York. Upstate includes the middle and upper Hudson Valley, ...

at his death. His wife, Jane Birdsall Harris, immigrated to Mexican Texas in 1833 with De Witt Clinton Harris, her eldest son. Meanwhile, David and William Harris expanded their business in Harrisburg by bringing in two ships for the transport of goods in and out of the region.

Texas Republic

In 1835, the General Council of Texas, a provisional government of Texas, made Harrisburg its capital. On April 16, 1836, during the

Texas Revolution The Texas Revolution (October 2, 1835 – April 21, 1836) was a rebellion of colonists from the United States and Tejanos (Hispanic Texans) against the Centralist Republic of Mexico, centralist government of Mexico in the Mexican state of ...

, almost all of Harrisburg was burned by the forces of

Antonio López de Santa Anna Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón (21 February 1794 – 21 June 1876),Callcott, Wilfred H., "Santa Anna, Antonio Lopez De,''Handbook of Texas Online'' Retrieved 18 April 2017. often known as Santa Anna, wa ...

. In the summer of 1836, John Kirby Allen and Augustus Chapman Allen sought town sites in the

Galveston Bay Galveston Bay ( ) is a bay in the western Gulf of Mexico along the upper coast of Texas. It is the seventh-largest estuary in the United States, and the largest of seven major estuaries along the Texas Gulf Coast. It is connected to the Gulf of ...

region. After making a small investment in Galveston, they failed in a bid for the property at

Morgan's Point, Texas Morgan's Point is located 30 miles southeast of Houston in southeastern Harris County, Texas, United States, located on the shores of Galveston Bay at the inlet to the Houston Ship Channel, near La Porte and Baytown. As of the 2020 census, it ...

, near the mouth of Buffalo Bayou. Next, the Allen brothers traveled several miles upstream to Harrisburg, where they negotiated an agreement for Jane Birdsall Harris to sell the town site. But there was a dispute about who owned Harrisburg, and Harris could not produce a clear title at that time. So the Allen brothers abandoned their plan for Harrisburg. The

Republic of Texas The Republic of Texas (), or simply Texas, was a country in North America that existed for close to 10 years, from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846. Texas shared borders with Centralist Republic of Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande, an ...

passed a statute of incorporation for Harrisburg on June 5, 1837. Later, some

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

investors formed the Harrisburg Town Company and annexed the town of Hamilton in 1839, when the population of Harrisburg had increased to about 1,400. In 1840, Andrew Briscoe established the Harrisburg and Brazos Rail Road and contracted with Maurice Birdsall to provide cut wood along the proposed rail corridor in and near Harrisburg. Briscoe also placed an advertisement to hire 60 enslaved men as railroad construction laborers. The Republic of Texas granted a charter for this company on January 9, 1841. No more than a few miles of road bed were graded by the company.

After annexation of Texas

After construction of the Harrisburg and Brazos Rail Road and development of Harrisburg had stalled for several years, the Harrisburg Town Company sold all of its unsold real estate in 1847 to

Sidney Sherman Sidney Sherman (July 23, 1805 – August 1, 1873) was a Texian general and a key leader in the Texas Army during the Texas Revolution and afterwards. Early life Sherman was born in Marlboro, Massachusetts, a son of Michah and Susanna Dennis ...

, who led a group of investors from Boston to promote the town. Harrisburg real estate was leveraged for a new plan to build a railroad with an eastern terminus at a peninsula at the mouth of Braes Bayou. The investment group organized the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos, and Colorado Railway (B.B.B. & C.) and secured a charter from the

State of Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

on February 11, 1850. Sherman was the founding partne, but also succeeded in recruiting investors from Houston, including William Marsh Rice, William J. Hutchins, and Benjamin A. Shepherd. The B. B. B. & C. hired John Williams to survey the route. Williams completed his survey of the B.B.B. & C. route between Harrisburg and the

Brazos River The Brazos River ( , ), called the ''Río de los Brazos de Dios'' (translated as "The River of the Arms of God") by early Spanish explorers, is the 14th-longest river in the United States at from its headwater source at the head of Blackwater ...

in 1851. It began operations on January 1, 1853. Harrisburg was the starting point of the line, the first functioning railroad line in the state.Rust, Carol.
Houston has street sense (and nonsense as well)
." ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. ...

''. Wednesday April 16, 1997. Houston 1. Retrieved on October 26, 2011. After the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, the railroad expanded and changed its name to the

Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway The Buffalo Bayou, Brazos, and Colorado Railway (B.B.B.C. or B.B.B. & C.), also called the Harrisburg Road or Harrisburg Railroad, was the first operating railroad in Texas. It completed its first segment of track between Harrisburg, Texas (now a ...

. Harrisburg remained an important rail town until a fire in the 1870s destroyed the rail yards, which were rebuilt in Houston. The population of Harrisburg dwindled with the loss of the railroads and with the widening of the

Houston Ship Channel The Houston Ship Channel, in Houston, Texas, is part of the Port of Houston, one of the busiest seaports in the world. The channel (geography), channel is the conduit for ocean-going vessels between Houston-area terminals and the Gulf of Mexico, ...

in 1919. In December 1926, the City of Houston annexed Harrisburg. The 1926 annexation of the Harrisburg area added of land to the city limits.Lee, Renée C. "Annexed Kingwood split on effects," ''

''. Sunday, October 8, 2006. A21. Only the print version has the information cited; the information is not included in the online edition.

Government and infrastructure

Harrisburg is in

Houston City Council The Houston City Council is a city council for the city of Houston in the U.S. state of Texas. The Council has sixteen members: eleven from council districts and five elected at-large. The members of the Council are elected every four years, wi ...

District I, which also includes the

Port of Houston The Port of Houston is one of the world's largest ports and serves the metropolitan area of Houston, Houston, Texas. The port is a complex of diversified public and private facilities located a few hours' sailing time from the Gulf of Mexico. Loc ...

, East Downtown, and Clinton Park. The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

operates the Harrisburg Post Office, at 8330 Manchester Street. In July 2011, the Postal Service announced that the post office may close. The Harris Health System, formerly the Harris County Hospital District, designated the Ripley Health Center for the ZIP code 77012. - See ZIP code 77012
See this map for relevant ZIP code
In 2000, Ripley was replaced by the Gulfgate Health Center.

. Harris County Hospital District. Accessed October 17, 2008. The designated public hospital is Ben Taub General Hospital in the

Texas Medical Center The Texas Medical Center (TMC) is a List of neighborhoods in Houston, neighborhood in south-central Houston, Texas, United States. It is immediately south of the Houston Museum District, Museum District and west of Texas State Highway 288. Over 6 ...

Demographics

In the city of Houston-defined Harrisburg/Manchester Super Neighborhood, which also includes

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, there were 2,926 residents in 2015. 82% were Hispanics, 14% were non-Hispanic blacks, and 3% were non-Hispanic whites. The percentages of non-Hispanic Asians and others were both zero. In 2000, the super neighborhood had 3,768 residents. 88% were Hispanics, 6% were non-Hispanic blacks, and 5% were non-Hispanic whites. The percentages of non-Hispanic Asians and others were both zero.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

Harrisburg is served by the

Houston Independent School District The Houston Independent School District (HISD) is the largest Public school (government funded), public school system in Texas, and the eighth-largest in the United States. Houston ISD serves as a community school district for most of the ci ...

. Many area residences are zoned to J. R. Harris Elementary School, including everything east of Broadway and some areas west of it, generally north and/or on Elm. Some are zoned to Dávila Elementary School. Residences are zoned to Deady Middle School, and Milby High School. The area was previously in the Harrisburg Independent School District.Elementary Schools (K-Z)
."

. Retrieved on June 15, 2016. J. R. Harris opened as Harrisburg School in 1895.Elementary Schools (A-J)
."

. Retrieved on June 15, 2016. A school for black students, also called Harrisburg School, opened in 1904. In 1952, that school for black students moved into a new building and was renamed "Kay Elementary School," after its first principal, who had been Savannah Georgia Kay. Kay Elementary School closed in 1978. Students at Chávez High School use the former Kay Elementary School as a " land lab."

Public libraries

Harrisburg is served by the Stanaker Branch of

Houston Public Library Houston Public Library is the public library system serving Houston, Texas, United States. History Houston Lyceum and the Carnegie Library The Houston Public Library system traces its founding to the creation of the second Houston Lyceum in ...

References

Bibliography

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Other resources

{{Coord, 29.7162, -95.2776, display=title Capitals of former nations Neighborhoods in Houston History of Houston Texas Revolution