Harrisville is a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

Butler County, Pennsylvania Butler County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 193,763. Its county seat is Butler. Butler County was created on March 12, 1800, from part of Allegheny County and named in honor of Gen ...

, United States. The population was 897 at the 2010 census.

History

The

Seneca people The Seneca ( ; ) are a group of Indigenous Iroquoian-speaking people who historically lived south of Lake Ontario, one of the five Great Lakes in North America. Their nation was the farthest to the west within the Six Nations or Iroquois Leag ...

used the Harrisville area for growing corn due to its fertile soil and flat growing area. Col. Robert Reed built a tavern and a distillery just south of present-day Harrisville in 1797. This was the first tavern between

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

and

Franklin, Pennsylvania Franklin is a city in and the county seat of Venango County, Pennsylvania, United States, located at the confluence of French Creek and the Allegheny River. The population was 6,097 in the 2020 census. Franklin is part of the Oil City microp ...

. Harrisville was founded in 1826 by Ephraim Harris. Harrisville was incorporated in 1846 by joining Harrisville and Reedsville. Harrisville had its first school in 1830, and in 1856 a high school was built.

Geography

Harrisville is located near the northwestern border of Butler County at (41.134966, −80.009590). Pennsylvania Routes 8 and 58 intersect in the center of the borough. Route 8 leads south to

Butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments, with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantries, pantr ...

, the county seat, and north to

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People and characters * Franklin (given name), including list of people and characters with the name * Franklin (surname), including list of people and characters with the name * Franklin (class), a member of a historic ...

on the

Allegheny River The Allegheny River ( ; ; ) is a tributary of the Ohio River that is located in western Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York in the United States. It runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border, nor ...

, while Route 58 leads east to Foxburg on the Allegheny River and west to Grove City. Harrisville is drained by McMurray Run, a tributary of

Slippery Rock Creek Slippery Rock Creek is a stream in western Pennsylvania, a tributary of Connoquenessing Creek. Course and history From its source in Hilliards in Butler County, it flows through McConnells Mill State Park before flowing into the Connoquen ...

. 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 ...

, Harrisville has a total area of , of which , or 0.40%, is water.

Demographics

As of the 2000 census, there were 883 people, 323 households, and 231 families residing in the borough. The population density was . There were 346 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the borough was 98.19% White, 0.57% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.79% from other races, and 0.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.11% of the population. There were 323 households, in 28.8% of which children under the age of 18 lived; 60.4% consisted of married couples living together; 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present; and 28.2% were non-family households. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.3% 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 2.92. In the borough the population was spread out, with 20.5% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 23.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.9 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $31,964, and the median income for a family was $35,455. Males had a median income of $29,167 versus $17,500 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 borough was $12,683. About 8.8% of families and 13.4% 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 21.6% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

It is in the

Slippery Rock Area School District Slippery Rock Area School District is a school district in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. It operates Slippery Rock High School, as well as a middle school and two elementary schools: Moraine Elementary and Slippery Rock Area Elementary. ...

.
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Notable person

* Ella Hamilton Durley (c. 1852 – 1922), educator, newspaper editor, and journalist

References

{{authority control Populated places established in 1826 Boroughs in Butler County, Pennsylvania 1826 establishments in Pennsylvania