The City of Harrison, Arkansas, will celebrate its 150th founding anniversary next year. The Council Chamber has some additional art on the wall as an early celebration.
Mayor Jerry Jackson said, “I’m very excited for the public to see the history of Harrison on our Council Chamber’s wall. Everyone who worked on this project did a great job, and we can be proud of our 150 years.”
The project involves displaying pictures of past mayors in the Council Chambers. “We’ve updated all the photos to black and white and made them a consistent size,” said Christeen Waters, the mayor’s executive assistant and project manager.
Colonel Marcus LaRue Harrison founded the city in 1876. His photo and some information about him are on the wall closest to the podium.
Waters said there were some mayors’ photos they were unable to find. In those cases, the names are listed on a plaque.
Waters combed old ordinance books and minutes records to verify mayors' service dates. Some mayors served one or two terms, some not back-to-back, and some only a few months. Some mayors died in office, and some resigned.
Eventually, she would like to discover more details about each mayor to post on the city’s website.
Earl Holvick and his company helped create the wall. Don Crosswhite found some missing photos and partial dates in the Museum archives, and Waters completed the information he discovered.
“This project was actually Mayor Jackson’s idea. When it was time to display everything, we enlisted the Fire Department to help. They measured, taped, marked, and did a perfect job. They purchased the necessary hanging hardware and did a wonderful job,” Waters said. “There were a few times they were interrupted to answer an emergency call. But they completed the job within two days.”
“There were a few times they were interrupted to answer an emergency call. But they completed the job within two days,” she said.