Harrisville gains a "Society of Friends"
New group hopes to better the community through activites, growth
By Amy Gareis
News Herald Staff Writer
Date Published - January 20, 2003

A NEW organization wants to put Harrisville on the map by sparking an influx of activities and interest in the community.

The Harrisville Society of Friends was co-founded in September by Shari Friend and Nancy Cullen, both members of the town council. currently, eight people are participating in the society, but interest appears to be growing. The intent is to showcase the hamlet's ties to history and to potentially create economic growth.

There are things that need to be done in the town that the town council can't do because there are no funds," said Cullen, the organization's secretary. "The Ladies' Auxiliary is formed to help the firemen and not necessarily the town, and the town needs assistance. It is open to anyone who assists the community. We don't close it off to residents because we have a lot of people outside of the community limits who are willing to help."

Because of economics, sidewalks can not be repaired, and she believes the club could help the people have a better place to live. She and Friend, who serves as the society's president, were speaking with grant consultants from Perry county to discuss funding searches.

"We're trying to get grants for community development," Cullen continued, saying more ideas are to hold activities and attract participants. "Also as a way to help unite the village, we're trying to have a flower contest on June 28 and we're holding the Morgan's Raid Festival in September."

She said the events were a way to get the people more focused on town issues and to participate in the Ohio Bicentennial celebration.

Friend added that the Morgan's Raid Festival, which is slated for Sept 20-21, would feature music, crafts, food and a taste of history through Civil War encampments. "There will be different kinds of music, and we're hoping to have an ecumenical service on Sunday with the two churches at the (former Harrisville school)." she explained. "We hope to get the money together to build a gazebo as our stage. We want to put up a memorial of our veterans who passed away; we plan on having crafts."

Vendors are being asked to dress in Civil War-era attire to give the event a historical feel, while delicacies from that time may also be prepared.

"We're trying to keep the food generated in the surrounding communities," Friend said, saying church and civil clubs would be more likely to sell their wares. Cullen commented that Harrisville had plenty of history with its part in the raid of 1863, which was noted as the longest in history at 23 days. Confederate General John Hunt Morgan and his troop traveled from the southeastern part of the state to Columbiana County, where he eventually was captured. Harrisville was on his route and records depicted many frightened residents escaping town to save their lives. Morgan never hurt a citizen, but his group stole horses at a local farm to make their way northward.

Another connection is it's location on the Underground Railroad, and the group is trying to work with Mount Pleasant and the Franklin Museum on that aspect. Cullen said Harrisville was included on a historic tour program through the Ohio Hills Country Heritage Area, so many people may not be aware of the village's significance during that time. The society has contacted Lorelai Porter, a professor at Muskingum College and historian, about the ties.

Fund-raisers are being held to help finance the events, with pictures and key chains depicting the village's heritage being sold now. Two key chains are available, with one noting Morgan's Raid and the other showcasing local staples, including the former Giffen's Ice Cream business and the old school. The key chains are on sale for $5 each, while pictures are on sale for $3 to $8, ranging in sizes. A spaghetti dinner has also been discussed as a money maker. We are going to be doing fundraising for those, but we need other financial assistance, as well," Cullen said. "I'm going to take (grant searches) piece by piece, day by day. The itmes we're trying to produce (for fundraisers) have to do with the historical means of the town. We were the home of Giffen's; it was a shame that the building had to come down, but we try to keep that heriage going. We're starting to gather historical pictures of prominent people and places and will be setting up displays at the community building."

Cullen's family had held the town picnic, but that has since been undertaken by the society. "We'd like to have a gift shop in the town, and maybe we can get people to focus on doing something to," added Friend. "We've sent information to (other organizations). Hopefully, we can get them all involved as we go along."

Meanwhile, more ideas are to hold a Christmas tree lighting complete with caroling.

"We're trying to keep the families close-knit. It's a nice community, and the people are missing that. We're trying to give more opportunities for families to come back and unite." Cullen concluded, "It's so the community can grow. It hasn't grown in the past years, so we're trying to have the community grow, but grow as a unit. That's our inner focus."

The Harrisville Society of Friends meets the first Monday of each month at 1 p.m. in the Ladies Auxiliary Building. For more information, to purchase items or to participate, contact Friend at (740) 546-3321 or Cullen at (740) 546-9915 or on the Web at https://www.angelfire.com/oh5/harrisvilleohio.