Harrison County is named for Albert G Harrison, who was a Congressman from the State of Missouri.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Ringgold County, Iowa and Decatur County, Iowa
E – Mercer County and Grundy County
S – Daviess County
W – Gentry County and Worth County
Created: February 14, 1854 
County Seat:
Bethany 1854 – present
County Courthouse – Bethany
Location: 1515 Central Street / North 15th Street
Built: 1939 – 1940
Style: Art Deco
Architect: Keene and Simpson of Kansas City and William L Perkins of Chariton, Iowa
Contractor: Thomas H Dawson of Kansas City
Description: The building faces south and is a three story gray colored stone and concrete structure. The square shaped building is located on landscaped grounds of the Courthouse Square in the center of Bethany. The building is 87 feet by 83 feet with a high center section and lower east and west wings. There are decorative panels between the first and second story windows. The roof line is flat. In the interior, the County Circuit Court courtroom is located on the second story. The jail is located on the third story. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 3rd Judicial Circuit. The building is a Work Project Administration project.
See: The 3rd Judicial Circuit includes Grundy County, Harrison County, Mercer County and Putnam County.
History: The county was created in 1845 and Bethany was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a frame structure designed by John S Allen and built by Elkana Grover in 1845. The building was later razed in 1888. The second courthouse was a two story brick structure built in 1857 by Asbury Allen and Allen S Meek for $9,732. The building was destroyed by fire on January 7, 1874. In 1874, the third courthouse was a two story brick structure designed by W Angelo Powell of St. Joseph and built by Benton Edwards and Isaac Hayes of Macon at a cost of $12,000. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1939 to 1940 at a cost of $124,000.
County Courthouse – Bethany
Photos taken 2009