Harrisonville Things to Do

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By far the most outstanding architecture in town is the sandstone constructed county courthouse that is located right in the center of what otherwise would be a central square. Indeed, it could be argued that city planners erred in this regard because although the county courthouse is remarkable architecture, the town's lack of public space in its center tends to cast a stark atmosphere, particularly because so much of the architecture and public streets are basic red brick. The courthouse continued in use as a court until relativcely recently, and is still used by the county as office space. So, it remains open 8-5 during weekdays. I was there on the weekend, so unfortunately didn't see the interior. Near the front door is a painted plaque explaining the history of the building's construction, which I provide below among the images. The clocktower is the most interesting aspect of the building as it reflects a Florentine style architecture is it's arches and faux balconies.

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On the backside of the courthouse building, there is a substantial tribute to the history of Cass County that is worth finding and reading. Included in this history was a bond swindle of the town that nearly forced it into bankruptcy. The plaque itself has some history to it, as it is quite old. On the front of the courthouse is a memorial to those to resisted paying back the defrauded bond.

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Although the buildings are largely vacant, Harrisonville has enough old brick architecture in it's old downtown to keep a visitor interested for an hour or so. The brick paved streets really are special, and so when (not "if" but "when") this downtown gets turned into restaurants, bars, and shops, it will provide a very pleasant place for adults to hang out for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Much of this architecture dates back to the late 19th century because most pre-civil war architecture didn't survive it's use as a garrison by Union armies. The link below provides a brief history of the town.

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Walking South on Pearl Street, homes originally built between the late 1880's and the early 1900's are being restored. Typically, a home may be purchased for, say $100k and then another $100k is invested during restoration and modernization of the interior.

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At the end of the old Town on the Pearl Street side are several large homes of substantial architectural interest. Most of these homes have been researched so that the original builder and owner are known.

Unfortunately, I lost the pedigree information on this restored gem that's just outside the main square of Harrisonville. I do recall the house having plates with original ownership names, but the home is still a residence and I couldn't get closer than this photograph. Any additional information on this home would be quickly added here...

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The old downtown is situated on the highest rise in otherwise flat Cass County. Flooding of the old downtown and old homes on this knoll is very unlikely. On the north side of this knoll is Lord's Park, a spread of picnic tables, lawns, and trees.

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On the edge of the knoll and the old town center, just north of Lord's Park are the old Oakland Cemetary and the millwork shop of architectural interest--Towne Creek Mill. The cemetary has family plots and individual tombstones dating back into the early and mid-19 century. The cemetary is actually divided into two areas with an underpass and railroad bridge between. There's also a creek in the area, and signs/lights preceding the underpass warn drivers of possible flooding. The Towne Creek Mill receives it's name from the creek, and from the architecture appears to be devoted to cabinetry, furniture, molding for interiors, and so on.

On the side of a downtown building is a mural of the sacking and burning of downtown during the Civil War.

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Here are the last images of homes I photographed in the Pearl Street Neighborhood. Just outside the area of old homes is the town's water tower.