Ghost Town:

Harrisburg, Washington County, Utah

The old town of Harrisburg is no more but there are residents there once again.    

Harrisburg was called Harrisville first then changed to Harrisburg. The town was named for Moses Harris who first settled in the area in 1859. By 1864 the area had 128 residents and 16 families. The area hit its peak in 1868 when there were twenty-five families living there. There were problems in the area from the beginning with flooding and other water problems. When the Quail Creek dam was constructed it was easier to divert the water to the Leeds area so many of Harrisburg's family moved the two and a half miles north and given up their holdings in Harrisburg. By 1892 there were only a half dozen families living there and eventually the town was deserted.

Some of the early residents of Harrisburg were involved with the discovery of silver in the area which lead to the establishment of the town of Silver Reef. Early settlers included Moses Harris and his son, Silas (1860); James Lewis and Hosea Stout and their families in 1861; Wm. Leany John Brimhall, Wm. Robb, Allen J. Stout, Priddy Meeks, Orson Adams, John Adams, Samuel Hamilton and Elijah Knapp Fuller came with their families in the spring of 1862.

Since Quail Lake was made there is an RV resort at the old Harrisburg townsite and other dwellings there as well so the area is no longer uninhabited. -CBA

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Harrisburg Cemetery Listings
Harrisburg Pioneer Index

Related links:

• Map of Harrisburg, UT US

• Saga of Three Towns - Harrisburg-Leeds-Silver Reef:  this site includes sixty pages of the book

Note to all:

If you have histories of the pioneers of Harrisburg (on a website or that you would like to have published on the web), other genealogy help for this town, or know of related links please let me know.
--Cindy Alldredge