Harp Township, DeWitt County, Illinois
| Harp Township | |
|---|---|
| Township | |
 Location in DeWitt County |
|
 DeWitt County's location in Illinois |
|
| Coordinates: 40°11′07″N 88°51′30″W / 40.18528°N 88.85833°WCoordinates: 40°11′07″N 88°51′30″W / 40.18528°N 88.85833°W | |
| Country |
 United States
|
| State |
 Illinois
|
| County | DeWitt |
| Established | November 2, 1858 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 34.72 sq mi (89.9 km2) |
| • Land | 31.16 sq mi (80.7 km2) |
| • Water | 3.56 sq mi (9.2 km2) 10.25% |
| Elevation | 751 ft (229 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 311 |
| • Density | 10/sq mi (4/km2) |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP codes | 61727, 61735, 61882 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0429112 |
Harp Township is one of thirteen townships in DeWitt County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2010 census, its population was 311 and it contained 136 housing units.
The earliest known pioneer to settle in Harp Township was Solomon Cross who erected a log cabin deep in the solitude of a forest of oak trees in 1830. The cabin was 16'x18', square and built of rough unhewn logs. The cabin stood fifty years before it was destroyed.
At about the same time as the Cross family, Jesse Mulkey and his brother-in-law Baltus Malone located in the township after a long journey from Kentucky at what would become known as Mulkey's Point. Mulkey and Malone's stay in the area would be short, abandoning their cabin after just over a year's time. Soon however, Felix Jones took possession of the old Mulkey cabin and constructed the first orchard in the township. Mulkey's Point also contained significant evidence of Indian camps and hunting grounds. Many of the trinkets and items found were shown to visitors of another early township resident, J. W. McCord.
1831 brought many new faces to the township including Isaac Davidson who came from Tennessee, but his life in the township would be very short as he died that same year. Davidson became the first burial in the township. The exact date is lost to history, but it occurred in the month of October, 1831. Soon after that same month, William Cross became the second resident to pass on. William was a brother to Solomon Cross and was buried on section thirty-two. In 1832, Harp township had a happier first as it celebrated its first marriage in the township. Mary Cross accepted the proposal of Martin Dale despite her parents opposition, and the couple were married in 1832.
Tyre Harp and Joseph Harp located their families on section twenty-nine in 1831. They came to the township from Overton County, Tennessee, but had lived a brief time in Waynesville, Illinois prior to settling in Harp Township. The first school in the township was taught from the home of Tyre Harp in 1836. The following year, Tyre Harp, Pleasant Smith and Dudley Richards contributed $110 towards paying for a six months school and erected the first schoolhouse, a 16 ft (4.9 m) x18ft foot cabin where Edom Shugert from Tennessee (who had also taught in Tyre Harp's home) took charge of the school. Tyre was also a shoemaker, crafting all of the shoes for his family. The Harp family was very prominent in the township, which is in fact named after their family. They are also credited with being one of the few families of the early settlers to remain permanent residents of the township.
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