Historic Harrisonville

Cass County Courthouse

No this is not city hall. This is the Cass County Courthouse.

WELCOME to the Harrisonville Historic Courthouse Square; we hope you find your visit both enjoyable and informative! Our objective it to inspire a keen interest and encourage learning about Harrisonville's Historic Courthouse Square by providing engaging, informative and exciting experiences for the community to participate in. In order to go forward, we must first know the past.

The City of Harrisonville encourages you to explore this site and to become an active member of either the Cass County Historical Society or the Harrisonville Historical Preservation Commission or Love the Harrisonville Square in preserving our past and thereby, embracing our future.

The Harrisonville Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) serves to promote the preservation of the history of the City of Harrisonville. On April 22, 1993 the newly appointed Historic Preservation Commissioners held their first meeting. Shortly thereafter, the City of Harrisonville amended its zoning ordinance by adding a "Historic Preservation District" and establishing a section describing the new district (ordinance number 1928).

The Commission consists of seven members who are appointed by the Mayor and approved by the Board of Alderman plus an alderman liaison. These individuals have expertise in diverse fields, which they bring to the commission to improve the city's historic preservation. The HPC has a wide range of duties, from the approval of historic building modifications to the dissemination of the historical background of Harrisonville to building owners and the public.

Love the Harrisonville Square is an Affiliate Grant Organization with the Missouri Main Street Connection and Main Street USA to assist in revitalizing the Square. Become a volunteer and be a part of the resurgence of the downtown area.

Details of Square Historic District

E.J. Kling of Butler Statue

In 1919, the state of Missouri appropriated money to erect World War memorials in each county. The Cass County Court, after careful deliberation, awarded a contract for the construction of a monument to Cass County's World War soldiers to E.J. Kling of Butler. Kling's copyrighted design was first created for the Bates County monument. W.O. Jackson, a Butler veteran had volunteered to be the model for the statute for Kling to create. The statute cost $2,500, with the state paying $1,000, the Cass County Court paid $1,000 and the American Legion Auxiliary donated $500, covering the total cost. The statute was said to be the only granite statute carved with all the equipment a soldier carried in the war, including light pack, gas mask, side arms, and rifle. Upon, the completion of the monument, the county organized a dedication ceremony. The ceremony occurred on Monday, November 11, 1929, on the south side of the square. The event began with a parade starting at the schoolhouse at 1 pm and ending at the square at 2 pm. The dedication ceremony began at 2 pm on the South side of the square. The schoolchildren were excused from school, in order to participate in the event. The three dime stores on the square, Nyland's on the east and Cox and Russell's on the south side gave children small American flags to fly in the ceremony. It is said that there were over 10,000 people packed on the square that day. Since that monumental day, the World War Doughboy monument continues to recognize the sacrifices of the American soldiers of Cass County from World War I.