Harrison is a small community located on the shores of Lake Coeur d’Alene, with
a current population of about 200 people, down from its peak of around 1,000 in
the early 1900s. In 1895, School District #29 was formed, but the very first classes
were held in a Methodist church. The first school building was erected in 1896,
and by 1903, there were fifty-nine students.

The citizens of Harrison clearly had high hopes for the future growth of their
town, which might explain the construction of a large, multi-story public school.
This school must have been the pride of the town, elegantly designed with a clock
tower and intricate inlaid brick accents above the windows and the front doorway.

Harrison’s growth at that time was driven by the development of eight or more
sawmills and wooden box factories, as well as the extension of a railroad branch
line from Tekoa, Washington, in 1890.

The town of Harrison was named after President Benjamin Harrison, but why the school officials only gave their newly built school the generic “Public School” name remains a mystery.

Unfortunately, in 1917, a fire at the Grant Lumber Company spread and destroyed
half of the business district and many homes in the town. Much of Harrison was
never rebuilt, contributing to its eventual population decline and the subsequent
reduced need for such a large school. There were plans as recently as a few years ago to remodel the lower floors into office space, but that has yet to happen. Today the Harrison Public School stands alone and abandoned adjacent to a city park.

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