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William Henry Harrison Suite
Room #3 -- $149-$169 |
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BED - Hand-Carved Walnut, 8' tall, circa 1850
DRESSER - Mahogany, Grapevine Design Carved Pulls, Biscuit Corner Marble Top,
circa 1880, manufactured in Cincinnati, Ohio
FIREPLACE MANTLE - Hand-Carved Cherry, with Beveled Mirror
FIRESCREEN - Needlepoint on Silk
RUG - Wool, Chinese
BATHROOM, SHAVING STAND - Footed Mahogany
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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.
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