Harlan was founded in the mid-1850s on a site near the West Nishnabotna River close to the geographic center of Shelby County. The offices and court of the county were transferred to the town shortly after it was established. The usual courthouse square and a block for a public school were included within the conventional grid scheme. By the late 1890s two north-south railroads ran through the town.
Writing Credits
If SAH Archipedia has been useful to you, please consider supporting it.
SAH Archipedia tells the story of the United States through its buildings, landscapes, and cities. This freely available resource empowers the public with authoritative knowledge that deepens their understanding and appreciation of the built environment. But the Society of Architectural Historians, which created SAH Archipedia with University of Virginia Press, needs your support to maintain the high-caliber research, writing, photography, cartography, editing, design, and programming that make SAH Archipedia a trusted online resource available to all who value the history of place, heritage tourism, and learning.