Place:Harrisburg, Jasper, Texas, United States

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the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Harrisburg is a community that is now (originally documented as Harrisburgh, then shortened to Harrisburg in 1892) located within the city of Houston, Texas, United States.

The community is located east of downtown Houston, south of the Brays Bayou and Buffalo Bayou junction, and west of Brady's Island. It was founded before 1825 on the eastern stretches of the Buffalo Bayou in present-day Harris County, Texas, on land belonging to John Richardson Harris. In 1926, Harrisburg was annexed into the city of Houston. The original name of Harris County was Harrisburg (Harrisburgh) County until it was shortened after the demise of the City of Harrisburg. Historical markers at the John Richardson Harris site tell of Santa Anna's razing the town on his way through chasing Houston and his retreating army just before they reached Lynch's ferry.

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Mexican Texas

Harrisburg was surveyed in 1826 and formally named Harrisburg by its founder, John Richardson Harris. Harris named the town both after himself and after Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, which had been named for his great-grandfather.

Texas Republic

John Kirby Allen and Augustus Chapman Allen wanted to establish a new town upstream from Galveston Bay. The location of Harrisburg, which had been platted by Harris in 1826, was the Allen brothers' first choice. They could not buy Harrisburg since Harris was dead, and no clear title to the land existed. The brothers founded the city of Houston in an area which was their second choice.

In 1835, the General Council of Texas, a provisional government of Texas, made Harrisburg its capital. On April 16, 1836, during the Texas Revolution, almost all of Harrisburg was burned by the forces of Antonio López de Santa Anna. After the Texas Revolution ended, the city of Houston was founded just west of Harrisburg and was named county seat of Harrisburg (later shortened to Harris) County and capital of the Republic of Texas.

After Texas Annexation

In 1851, the chief engineer of the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos, and Colorado Railway (B.B.B. & C.), surveyed the route between Harrisburg and the Brazos River. It began operations on January 1, 1853. Harrisburg was the starting point of the line, the first functioning railroad line in the state.

After the Civil War, the railroad expanded and changed its name to the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway. Harrisburg remained an important rail town until a fire in the 1870s destroyed the rail yards, which were rebuilt in Houston.

The population of Harrisburg dwindled with the loss of the railroads and with the widening of the Houston Ship Channel in 1919. In December 1926, the City of Houston annexed Harrisburg. The 1926 annexation of the Harrisburg area added of land to the city limits.

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