Townships, Harrison County, Missouri

Among the first acts of the county court was the division of the county into municipal townships. The first division was into Madison, Butler and Dallas Townships.

The boundaries of Madison Township as described in the records were as follows: Beginning at a point where the state road from Savannah to Moscow crosses the line between Harrison and Mercer Counties, thence westwardly with the said state road to the summit of the divide between Big Creek and the east fork of Grand River; thence with the divide northwardly to the state line, thence east with the state line to the northeast corner of the county, thence south with the county line to the place of beginning.

Butler Township, named in honor of Aseph M. Butler, included an area with the following boundaries: Beginning at the county line on the divide between Cypress and Hickory Creeks, thence north with the divide six miles to the line between sections 25 and 36, thence west with said line to the west side of the county, thence south with the county line to the southwest corner of the county, thence east to the place of beginning.

Dallas Township, subsequently changed to Bethany Township, had this boundary: Beginning at the northeast corner of Butler Township, thence north with the divide to the state line, thence west with the state line to the northwest corner of the county, thence south to the northwest corner of Butler Township, thence east with said township line to the place of beginning.

At the June term, 1845, Sugar Creek Township was created, bounded as follows: Beginning at a point where the state road leading from Savannah to Moscow crosses the Harrison and Mercer County line, thence west with said road to the summit of divide between Big Creek and Grand River, thence south with the divide to the county line between Harrison and Daviess Counties, thence east with the county line to the southeast corner of the county, thence north with the county line to the place of beginning.

At the May term, 1846, upon petition of numerous citizens, it was "ordered that all that part of Bethany Township lying north of townships 64 and 65 be created a separate and distinct municipal township to be known and designated by the name of Marion."

Trail Creek Township was created at the December term, 1855, as follows: Ordered that all that portion of Sugar Creek Township lying north of the following line, to-wit: Beginning at the southeast corner of section 12, township 63, range 26, thence west on section line to the line dividing Bethany and Sugar Creek Townships, be and is hereby organized into a municipal township to be known by the name of and called Trail Creek Township.

This is an order made at the March term, 1856, that the following bounds be and are hereby set off into a municipal township, congressional townships 65, 66 and the fractional part of 67, range 29, to be known by the name of Washington.

Union Township was created in 1858 as follows: Beginning at the northwest corner of section 19, township 64, range 28, thence running east on section line eleven miles, thence north six miles with section line, thence west to the northwest corner of section 19, township 65, range 28, thence south with range line to place of beginning.

At September term, 1860, White Oak Township was created as follows: All of congressional township 63, range 29, be and is hereby organized a municipal township, to be known by the name and called White Oak Township.

In September, 1858, Cypress Township was organized, its boundary as follows: Beginning at the northwest corner of section 35 in township 62 in range 27 at the county line, thence west on the section line to the middle of the main channel of Big Creek, thence down the main channel of Big Creek to the county line, thence east on the county line to the place of beginning.

Clay Township, At the March term, 1858, it was ordered that all that portion of Marion Township lying of the line dividing townships 65 and 66 be and is hereby set off into a separate municipal township to be known by the style and name of Clay Township.

Lincoln was created in July, 1865, with boundaries as follows: Commencing at the northeast corner of section 36, township 67, range 29 on the Iowa line, thence running south six miles to the southeast comer of section 25 in township 66 in Harrison County, Missouri, thence west to the county line between Harrison and Worth Counties at the southwest comer of section 30, thence north to the Iowa state line at the northwest corner of section 31, thence east to the place of beginning. At the April term, 1866, the boundaries of the above townships were variously modified, and at the ensuing May term the outlines of Sugar Creek and Trail Creek Townships were materially changed.

From 1866 to 1872 no new townships were created, but in June, 1872, the court organized the township of Grant by a division of Union Township, with boundaries as follows: Commencing at range line between township 64, ranges 27 and 28 at the southwest comer of section 18, township 64, range 27 and the southeast comer of section 13, township 64, range 28, thence north to the northwest corner of section 19, township 65, range 27, thence south on section line to the southeast corner of section 14, township 64, range 27, thence to the place of beginning.

In June, 1872, the county court, upon a proper petition, ordered that the question of township organization should be submitted to a vote of the people at the general election in November of that year. The election was held on November 5, 1872, and resulted as follows: There were cast for township organization 1,988 votes, and against it 636 votes; majority in favor of township organization 1,352.

Immediately after the election the county court, by the power vested in it by the township organization law, divided the county into twenty municipal townships, making them correspond with the congressional survey, and so they remain to this day.

Sugar Creek Township consists of all that part of congressional township 62, range 26, being and lying within Harrison County.

Fox Creek Township consists of all of congressional township 63, range 26.

Trail Creek Township is all of congressional township 64, range 26.

Madison comprises all of congressional township 65, range 26.

Clay Township consists of all of congressional township 66, range 26, and that part of township 67, range 26, that lies in Harrison County.

Colfax Township is all of congressional township 66, range 27 and that part of township 67, range 27, lying in Harrison County.

Marion Township is township 65, range 27, of congressional survey.

Grant is congressional township 64, range 27.

Sherman embraces all of congressional township 63, range 27.

Adams is congressional township 62, range 27, lying within Harrison County, Missouri.

Cypress is that part of township 62, range 28, lying within Harrison County.

Bethany is all of township 63, range 28.

Jefferson is congressional township 64, range 28.

Union is congressional township 65, range 28.

Hamilton embraces all of township 66, range 28, and that part of township 67, range 28, lying within Harrison County.

Lincoln embraces all of congressional township 66, range 29, and that part of township 67, range 29, lying within Harrison County.

Washington is congressional township 65, range 29. Dallas is township 64, range 29.

White Oak is congressional township 63, range 29.

Butler is all that part of congressional township 62, range 29, lying within Harrison County.

By the township organization as adopted in 1872 it was provided that the county court should consist of the supervisors of the townships, one from each township, but an act of the regular session of the Twenty-seventh General Assembly, approved March 24, 1873, so amended the township organization law as to require the county court to consist of five judges, one a presiding judge elected at large, and four, one from each of four districts into which the county was divided.

It does not appear that Harrison County ever organized a county court of the supervisors. At the June term, 1873, the Record of County Court Book "E" at page 221 recites that "Court met pursuant to adjournment. Present: Joseph F. Bryant, presiding judge; Joseph P. Bailey, of first district; James B. Brown, of second district; Milton Burris, of third district, and Franklin R. Quigley, of fourth district, associate justices. Said judges having been elected May 3, 1873, and consonance of an act of the Legislature approved March 24, 1873, and commissioned by the governor May 19, 1873, commissions filed and judges qualified June 2, 1873."

This township organization law was repealed by an act of the General Assembly approved March 5, 1877, and the government of the county then fell back under the general law, and so remained until the township organization law enacted in 1899 was later adopted in Harrison County.

At the May term, 1906, of the county court a requisite petition was filed for submission to the vote of the people of the township organization law as defined in Chapter 168 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri of 1899 as amended in 1901-03 and 1905, which petition was by the court found sufficient and the submission ordered at the general election to be held November 5, 1906, and the vote then taken thereon resulted in its adoption, the vote for being 2,800 and the vote against 202, and the county yet remains under township organization. 

 Harrison County| AHGP Missouri

Source: History of Harrison County, Missouri, by Geo. W. Wanamaker, Historical Publishing Company, Topeka, 1921