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History · Harrisonburg

Harrisonburg was first counted by the census in 1850, and 18% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listings are the Catahoula Parish Courthouse, the Harrisonburg Methodist Church and the Sargent House. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1941 on, and the census since 1850.

1850first census
3on the National Register
18%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Harrisonburg began

When was Harrisonburg founded?

1850

Harrisonburg first appears in the census in 1850.

First census: 326 in 18502020 census: 277176 years
Founding year: the first census.The full story ↓

What stands out about Harrisonburg’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 746 in 2000; 277 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Harrisonburg’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Harrisonburg’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Harrisonburg, census by census

02004006008001850190019502000Peak: 746

Peaked at 746 in 2000; 277 people lived here in 2020.

17 censuses, 1850–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Harrisonburg’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Harrisonburg came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Harrisonburg.

Read it all →

Fort Beauregard, located on a bluff in the northern corner of the village, was a Confederate stronghold during the American Civil War. In 1863, the fort successfully defended Harrisonburg from the attack of four Union gunboats coming from the Black River to the Ouachita River. After four days of bombardment, little damage was done, and the gunboats retired down river. Harrisonburg and fort were evacuated before Brig. General Crocker's considerable naval and army forces arrived on September 4, 1863. The Confederates lost eight significant artillery pieces although two large 32 pound cannons were preserved. On March 1 through the 4, 1864 the town was again attacked by Union gunboats, but the falling river level prevented the advance on Monroe.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Harrisonburg, 1822 to 2000

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1822Post officeThe Hardsonburg post office opens
  3. 1860In the archiveMap of the Parish of Catahoula, Louisiana
  4. 1880BuiltSargent House is built
  5. 20th century
  6. 1941On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 21st century
  8. 2000CensusPopulation peaks at 746
By decade

Harrisonburg, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1860s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1860s1 item
Map of the Parish of Catahoula, Louisiana1860Map of the Parish of Catahoula, LouisianaMap
Today2 recent
Harrisonburg,LA.USA2012Harrisonburg,LA.USALAMap-doton-Harrisonburg2004LAMap-doton-Harrisonburg
On the map

Harrisonburg on the map, 1941 to 1984

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Harrisonburg. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Harrisonburg on the 1941 USGS mapHarrisonburg on the 1959 USGS mapHarrisonburg on the 1984 USGS map1941Harrisonburg sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Harrisonburg.

On the National Register

3 historic places in Harrisonburg

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
3
each building in a district counts
first listed
1980
Sargent House
Catahoula Parish CourthouseHarrisonburg Methodist ChurchSargent House, built 1880
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Classical Revival1
Catahoula Parish CourthouseClassical Revival
Harrisonburg Methodist ChurchBuilding
All 3 listings
Sargent HouseBuilding · listed 1980

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Harrisonburg

Nobody well known was born in Harrisonburg itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Jerry Lee LewisAmerican rock 'n' roll musician · b. 1935
Jimmy SwaggartAmerican TV evangelist · b. 1935
V
Varina DavisSecond wife of President Jefferson Davis and Fi… · b. 1826
Howard K. SmithAmerican news anchor · b. 1914
G
Glen BallardAmerican songwriter, lyricist, and record produ… · b. 1953
Lainey WilsonAmerican country singer · b. 1992

Questions about Harrisonburg’s history

What year was Harrisonburg founded?

The Harrisonburg post office opened in 1850, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Harrisonburg?

Three places: the Catahoula Parish Courthouse (listed 1988), the Harrisonburg Methodist Church (2015) and the Sargent House (1980).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (3), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.