Speaking of land in Harris County, the land in this area, and all of Texas for that matter, has always been hotly contested. What started out as pre-Columbian Texas, then slid into French Texas. After the explorers arrived it did a long stint as Spanish Texas, and then a briefer one as Mexican Texas. By 1836, it was being called the Republic of Texas when in 1845 it was cemented as just ‘Texas,’ when it achieved Statehood as the 28th state in the Union.

The Akokisa Tribe, the Indigenous peoples of the area that is now called Harris County, were there long before all of that. In fact, in 2009, Moore Archaeological Consulting discovered 2,000 Akokisa artifacts dating back to 8,100 BCE. In their hunter-gathering ways, the Akokisa roamed the grassy coastal plains that were punctuated by trees, swamps, and marshland. They often visited Buffalo Bayou, an ancient waterway that today flows through the center of town. The Akokisa went about their business of living off of and working with the land—until they disappeared.

As the influx of American settlers continued the long fight over Texas lands, the settlement of the area went tragically for the Akokisa Tribe. Those who survived the clashes were thought to have been absorbed by neighboring tribes in Louisiana, despite Sam Houston’s efforts to protect them.

The county of Harris was adopted six years prior to Texas’ statehood. The First Congress of the Republic of Texas declared it Harrisburg at first, before eventually settling on just Harris. And there’s a reason for that…

John Richardson Harris
Early pioneer life in a new area is hard. No matter what. John Richardson Harris, along with his brothers, Samuel, David, and William, made important contributions to the early development of the county. The Handbook of Texas, created by the Texas Historical Society, informs us that Harris and his wife were native New Yorkers, and eventually settled with their young children in Texas, by way of Missouri.

Harris built his home between two bayous, and also operated two trading posts, a lifeline for settlers desperate to replenish their supplies. It was recorded that he paid Francis W. Johnson to plot Harrisburg, the town he founded, and Harris was also hard at work building a vital steam-powered saw and grist mill in the county.

It was on a trip to New Orleans, where he sailed his own vessel to buy supplies for his sawmill, that he fell ill in Louisiana. He died there from Yellow Fever in August of 1829, and afterword, the county, inspired by his many contributions, shortened the original name of ‘Harrisburg’ to just ‘Harris’ in his honor.