The village was named in honor of Major Thomas L. Harris, who was elected and served as Major of the Fourth Illinois Regiment in the Mexican–American War, and who was afterward a member of Congress from 1849 to 1858. The first settlers arrived in 1828 and began building log cabins and improving land around the area. 1841 saw the building of the township’s first schoolhouse, a log building, and served as both the school and as a place of worship until 1853 when the first church was built. Harristown was along the main line of the Wabash Railroad which contributed to increased population and business. Harristown was also the first Illinois home of Abraham Lincoln. His family settled alongside the Sangamon River in 1830 for a little over a year before relocating due to the harsh winter and extreme sickness. Lincoln and his family constructed a log cabin and fenced in 10 acres of land, planting corn in the fenced land. During that winter, Lincoln, together with his stepmother's son, John D. Johnston, and John Hanks were hired by Denton Offutt to build a flatboat and navigate it from Beardstown, Illinois, to New Orleans, Louisiana. It was during this time that Lincoln saw slavery first-hand for the first time. Lincoln departed the Harristown area in the spring of 1831. Lincoln Trail Homestead State Park was created in 1904 and marks the spot where his cabin stood.
Geography
Harristown is located at . According to the 2010 census, Harristown has a total area of, all land. Harristown, Illinois, is located in Macon County and lies just west of Decatur. Abraham Lincoln's first home in Illinois was located on the north bank of the Sangamon River, about three miles south of Harristown.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,338 people, 511 households, and 402 families residing in the village. The population density was 720.9 people per square mile. There were 525 housing units at an average density of 282.9 per square mile. The racial makeup of the village was 98.88% White, 0.30% African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.07% Asian, and 0.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 0.30% of the population. There were 511 households out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.5% were married couplesliving together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.3% were non-families. 19.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 2.98. In the village, the population was spread out with 25.1% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.5 males. The median income for a household in the village was $42,946, and the median income for a family was $48,162. Males had a median income of $37,273 versus $23,750 for females. The per capita income for the village was $18,689. About 4.1% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.
