Harrisville is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

and former

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in Lewis County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, United States. The community is now a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

. The population was 628 at the 2010 census. Harrisville is in the northeastern part of the town of

Diana Diana most commonly refers to: * Diana (name), given name (including a list of people with the name) * Diana (mythology), ancient Roman goddess of the hunt and wild animals; later associated with the Moon * Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997), ...

and is south of Gouverneur. On May 15, 2018, residents voted to dissolve the village by a vote of 112–70, and it took effect on December 31, 2018. As of the 2019 American Community Survey, the U.S. Census Bureau still lists Harrisville as a village.

History

In 1815,

Joseph Bonaparte Joseph Bonaparte (born Giuseppe di Buonaparte, ; ; ; 7 January 176828 July 1844) was a French statesman, lawyer, diplomat and older brother of Napoleon Bonaparte. During the Napoleonic Wars, the latter made him King of Naples (1806–1808), an ...

, elder brother of

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

and former

King of Spain The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy () is the constitutional form of government of Spain. It consists of a Hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state, being the highest office of the country. The Spanish ...

, purchased a tract of land from James Le Ray, part of which became the town of Diana. Harrisville, the largest community in the town, takes its name from Foskit Harris, who settled there in 1833. Harris constructed a sawmill and gristmill, harnessing the West Branch of the

Oswegatchie River The Oswegatchie River is a river in northern New York (state), New York that flows from the Adirondack Mountains north to the Saint Lawrence River. The Oswegatchie River begins at Partlow Lake in Hamilton County, New York. The river continues t ...

for power to operate the mills. When early settlers discovered that the landlord John LaFarge, from whom

La Fargeville, New York La Fargeville is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Orleans in Jefferson County, New York, United States. The population was 733 at the 2020 census. The hamlet is named after John Frederick La Farge, one of the early propr ...

, takes its name, had acquired title to Bonaparte's land, they abandoned the area, and Harrisville languished for 20 years. In 1859, Samuel H. Beach and William R. Dodge built a massive

tannery Tanning, or hide tanning, is the process of treating skins and hides of animals to produce leather. A tannery is the place where the skins are processed. Historically, vegetable based tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound derived fr ...

on the east side of the river. The structure had 160 vats and was capable of turning out 40,000 sides of sole leather per year. In 1879, David Botchford and Co. acquired the tannery, which closed in 1902. By 1880 Harrisville had become the commercial and industrial center of the town of Diana. The abundant natural resource of forests and water shaped industrial development and served to attract investors and residents supported by a chair factory, a sash and door factory, and several active lumber dealers. In addition, carriage makers, blacksmiths, a harness shop, and numerous general merchandise stores and retail service establishments such as barbershops and hotels supported community development. The Carthage & Adirondack Railroad came to Harrisville in 1887, replacing the earlier, unsuccessful Black River & St. Lawrence Railroad, which had relied on maple rails to support heavy locomotives. The Carthage & Adirondack transported leather, lumber, and paper from Harrisville mills. As a common carrier, the railroad also brought visitors to Lake Bonaparte and other vacation spots in the northern

Adirondacks The Adirondack Mountains ( ) are a massif of mountains in Northeastern New York (state), New York which form a circular dome approximately wide and covering about . The region contains more than 100 peaks, including Mount Marcy, which is the hi ...

. The depot is now home to the Town of Diana Historical Museum. Around 1905, the Diana Paper Company built a mill on the Botchford Tannery's former location. The mill primarily produced paper for magazines and catalogs. During World War I, the company experienced financial difficulty because of unfavorable wood contracts. After years of struggle, the company filed for bankruptcy in 1927. St. Regis Paper Company acquired the mill and ran it until 1954, when the Harrisville Paper Company bought it. The mill ceased operations in 1957.

Geography

Harrisville is located in the northern part of the town of

, along the northern boundary of Lewis County at . It is bordered to the north by the town of

Pitcairn The Pitcairn Islands ( ; Pitkern: '), officially Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, are a group of four volcanic islands in the southern Pacific Ocean that form the sole British Overseas Territory in the Pacific Ocean. The four islan ...

in St. Lawrence County. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, in 2010 the village had a total area of , of which were land and , or 5.56%, are water. Combined

New York State Route 812 New York State Route 812 (NY 812) is a state highway in the North Country, New York, North Country of New York (state), New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an intersection with New York State Route 1 ...

and

New York State Route 3 New York State Route 3 (NY 3) is a major east–west state highway in New York, in the United States, that connects central New York to the North Country region near the Canada–US border via Adirondack Park. The route extends for ...

pass through the community. Route 3 leads east to Tupper Lake and west to Watertown, while Route 812 leads south to Lowville, the Lewis

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

, and north toward Gouverneur, away. County Road 9 enters Harrisville from the south. Harrisville is on the West Branch of the

, which flows north to the

St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawren ...

at Ogdensburg.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 653 people, 266 households, and 172 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 299 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 98.93%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.15% Native American, 0.31% Asian, and 0.61% from two or more races. There were 266 households, out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.06. In the village, the population was spread out, with 25.1% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males. The median income for a household in the village was $30,833, and the median income for a family was $32,946. Males had a median income of $32,417 versus $19,545 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the village was $15,652. About 12.6% of families and 16.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 21.2% of those under age 18 and 12.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

It is in the

Harrisville Central School District Harrisville may refer to the following places: Australia * Harrisville, Queensland, a town and locality in the Scenic Rim Region New Zealand * Harrisville, New Zealand United States * Harrisville, Indiana * Harrisville, Maryland * Harrisville, Mi ...

.Harrisville is shown on the 2010 map:
but not on the 2020 map:
Text list
/ref>

References

{{authority control Villages in New York (state) Villages in Lewis County, New York Populated places disestablished in 2018 Former villages in New York (state)