Harrisville in Ritchie County, West Virginia — The American South (Appalachia)

Harrisville / Thomas Maley Harris

Harrisville side of marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By J. J. Prats, April 10, 2021

1. Harrisville side of marker

Inscription. Harrisville. Laid out on lands owned by Thomas Harris, uncle of Gen. Thomas Maley Harris, in 1822. Originally part of Wood County, it was chartered in 1832 and incorporated in 1869. The town has been called Solus. Ritchie Court House, and Harrisville, with the last change occurring in 1895 to honor the Harris family. It has been the seat of Ritchie since the county was created in 1843.

Thomas Maley Harris. Born 1813 in Wood County, he was a doctor before the war. In 1861, he raised the 10th WV and served as colonel, rising to rank of major general. Postwar, he sat on the military tribunal that tried the Lincoln conspirators. He served in the WV House of Delegates, as WV Adjutant General, and U.S. Pension Agent, then resumed his medical practice. Harris died in 1906.

Erected 2017 by West Virginia Archives & History.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics • Political Subdivisions • War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1822.

Location. 39° 12.859′ N, 81° 2.462′ W. Marker is in Harrisville, West Virginia, in Ritchie County. Marker is at the intersection of East Main Street (West Virginia Route 16) and Ferguson Lane, on the right

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when traveling west on East Main Street. It is at the Harrisville Municipal Building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1501 E Main st, Harrisville WV 26362, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Romeo H. Freer (a few steps from this marker); Ritchie County Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.6 miles away); Harrisville (approx. 0.6 miles away); The Stone House (approx. 6.1 miles away); Pennsboro (approx. 6.1 miles away); a different marker also named Harrisville (approx. 6.2 miles away); Pennsboro B&O Depot (approx. 6.2 miles away); Doddridge County / Ritchie County (approx. 8.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Harrisville.

Also see . . . Wikipedia entry. Excerpt:

His troops were among those directly responsible for cutting off Robert E. Lee's line of retreat at Appomattox Courthouse. Following the Confederate surrender at Appomattox, Harris served on the military commission which tried the Lincoln Conspirators. Following the trial general Harris authored two books about the trial evidences and proceedings: Assassination of Lincoln: A History of the Great Conspiracy, Trial of the Conspirators by a Military Commission, and a Review of the Trial of John H. Surratt, 1892; and later: Rome’s Responsibility for the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, 1897.

Thomas Maley Harris side of marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By J. J. Prats, April 10, 2021

2. Thomas Maley Harris side of marker

(Submitted on May 23, 2021.)

Harrisville / Thomas Maley Harris Marker, foreground image. Click for full size.

Photographed By J. J. Prats, April 10, 2021

3. Harrisville / Thomas Maley Harris Marker, foreground

The Romeo H. Freer marker is in the distance.

Lincoln Assassination Conspirators Military Commission image. Click for full size.

Mathew Brady. Collection in the National Archives, 1865

4. Lincoln Assassination Conspirators Military Commission

General Thomas M. Harris is on the left. Other members are Generals David Hunter, James A. Elkin, August V. Kautz, Lewis Wallace and the Honorable John A. Bingham.

Credits. This page was last revised on May 23, 2021. It was originally submitted on May 23, 2021, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 161 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on May 23, 2021, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.