William Henry Harrison Suite
Room #3 -- $149-$169

      William Henry Harrison, the father of Harrison County, was born February 9, 1773 on the James River in Virginia. His father, Benjamin Harrison, was a member of the first Continental Congress, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and a governor of Virginia. At an early age, William Harrison entered the army, a career of dealing with the Indians on the frontier. He was married to Anna Symmes of Cincinnati.
     Just before the turn of the century, Harrison became Secretary of the Northwest Territory and on May 13, 1800, he was appointed Governor of Indiana Territory by President John Adams. By the time he became governor, Harrison had been thoroughly westernized. He had an unusual gift of oratory and conversation which appealed to the common people.
     As Territorial Governor, Harrison became interested in what is now the town of Corydon and Harrison County. In 1804, he purchased some land from the U.S. Government. One tract is the ground where Corydon now stands. In 1807, he purchased another large tract of land twelve miles west of town, on Blue River at Wilson's Spring. Harrison built a log house, planted a large orchard, operated a still house, and constructed one of the first power grist and sawmills in the county. He lived there for a short period of time. In 1809, Harrison, along with Harvey Heth, sold part of his land -- the square where the Old Capital Building stands, and the square to the west of it -- to the county commissioners. Harrison also plotted and named the town of Corydon, which at that time was a portion of Knox County. The town was named for his favorite song: "A Pastoral Elegy", a lament about the death of a young shepherd whose name was Corydon. Therefore, in 1809, when Harrison County was established, it was inevitable that it be named after Harrison At one time, he was personally known to every citizen in the county and was fondly referred to as "Bill".
      The inhabitants of Harrison County were elated when General Harrison was elected U.S. President in 1840. He gave the longest inaugural address in history on March 4, 1841, a bitterly cold day in Washington, D.C. He rode without coat or hat to and from the inauguration on his favorite horse. The swearing-in ceremony was also outside the national Capitol. Harrison contracted pneumonia, from which he never recovered, and died one month later. His wife, who was unable to make the trip from Cincinnati to Washington, D.C., never occupied the White House.