Harrison Township is one of the twenty townships

Civil township

A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States, subordinate to, and geographic divisions of, a county. Specific responsibilities and the degree of autonomy vary based on each state. Civil townships are distinct from survey townships, but in states that have both,...

 of Darke County

Darke County, Ohio

As of the census of 2000, there were 53,309 people, 20,419 households, and 14,905 families residing in the county. The population density was 89 people per square mile . There were 21,583 housing units at an average density of 36 per square mile...

, Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The 2000 census

United States Census, 2000

The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...

 found 2,145 people in the township, 1,300 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.

Geography

Located in the southwestern corner of the county, it borders the following townships:

• Liberty Township
  Liberty Township, Darke County, Ohio
  Liberty Township is one of the twenty townships of Darke County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,132 people in the township, 962 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - north
• Neave Township
  Neave Township, Darke County, Ohio
  Neave Township is one of the twenty townships of Darke County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,986 people in the township, 1,302 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - northeast corner
• Butler Township
  Butler Township, Darke County, Ohio
  Butler Township is one of the twenty townships of Darke County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,616 people in the township, 1,301 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - east
• Monroe Township, Preble County
  Monroe Township, Preble County, Ohio
  Monroe Township is one of the twelve townships of Preble County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 2,290 people in the township, 1,314 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - southeast corner
• Jefferson Township, Preble County
  Jefferson Township, Preble County, Ohio
  Jefferson Township is one of the twelve townships of Preble County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 3,449 people in the township, 1,826 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - south
• Franklin Township, Wayne County, Indiana
  Franklin Township, Wayne County, Indiana
  Franklin Township is one of fifteen townships in Wayne County, Indiana, USA. As of the 2000 census, its population was 1,291.-Geography:Franklin Township covers an area of...
  
   - west

Two incorporated villages are located in Harrison Township: Hollansburg

Hollansburg, Ohio

Hollansburg is a village in Darke County, Ohio, United States. The population was 214 at the 2000 census.-History:On March 28, 1838, local landowner James Stewart platted a community in northwestern Harrison Township and named it "Union." When William Hollaman, another landowner, attempted to...

 in the northwest, and part of New Madison

New Madison, Ohio

New Madison is a village in Darke County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 817.-History:New Madison was platted by Zadock Smith in 1817 for purposes of land speculation, but his efforts failed; he was unable to sell any of the lots...

 in the east.

Name and history

It is one of nineteen Harrison Townships statewide

Harrison Township, Ohio

Harrison Township, Ohio may refer to:*Harrison Township, Carroll County, Ohio*Harrison Township, Champaign County, Ohio*Harrison Township, Darke County, Ohio*Harrison Township, Gallia County, Ohio*Harrison Township, Hamilton County, Ohio...

.

The area within the modern borders of Harrison Township was first settled in 1810, but it was abandoned after Native American attacks; no settlers returned until after the end of the War of 1812

War of 1812

The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...

. American soldiers built two forts in 1813 for that war within the bounds of the present township: Fort Black, near Main Street in present-day New Madison, and Fort Nesbitt, in Section

Section (United States land surveying)

In U.S. land surveying under the Public Land Survey System , a section is an area nominally one square mile, containing , with 36 sections making up one survey township on a rectangular grid....

 32. After the war's end, some settlers returned to the area, along with many former residents of Kentucky

Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...

. Growth in population enabled Harrison Township to be formed by splitting Twin Township

Twin Township, Darke County, Ohio

Twin Township is one of the twenty townships of Darke County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 3,946 people in the township, 1,578 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...

 in May of 1818; its initial area was reduced by the formation of German Township

Liberty Township, Darke County, Ohio

Liberty Township is one of the twenty townships of Darke County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,132 people in the township, 962 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...

 in 1820. The first school was established in the township in 1819, while the township's first church was a Church of Christ

Restoration Movement

The Restoration Movement is a Christian movement that began on the American frontier during the Second Great Awakening of the early 19th century...

.

Government

The township is governed by a three-member board of trustees, who are elected in November of odd-numbered years to a four-year term beginning on the following January 1. Two are elected in the year after the presidential election and one is elected in the year before it. There is also an elected township fiscal officer, who serves a four-year term beginning on April 1 of the year after the election, which is held in November of the year before the presidential election. Vacancies in the fiscal officership or on the board of trustees are filled by the remaining trustees. The current trustees are Steve Bohn, Donald Drew, and Mike Fisherback, and the clerk is Cathy Bennett.