Wayne County Courthouse (1818-1829)

Wayne County Courthouse (1818-1829)
Alternative names	First Wayne Co. Courthouse
General information
Location	NW Corner of Public Square
Town or city	Wooster, Ohio

Also Known As Building Name

• 1st Wayne County Courthouse

Comprehensive History

The county’s first real courthouse was erected sometime between 1818-1819. Building a courthouse was one of the conditions of a deal that allowed the county seat to be moved from its original location in Madison (located atop what is today known as Madison Hill) to Wooster. It was reported to be a three-story brick structure with a bell tower, which incorporated a gallery, was occupied by county offices and Freemason organizations. In 1823, John Bever donated a bell for the structure’s bell tower. The courthouse burned in 1828 during a term of the court, and some county records were lost.

Courthouse Building Description from the Wayne County Commissioners Journal Entry dated 1811-MAY-13

Know all men by these presents that we John Bever, William Henry, and Joseph H. Larwill, proprietors of the town of Wooster in the County of Wayne and State of Ohio are held and firmly bound unto the commissioners that hereafter may be appointed or elected for the county of Wayne aforesaid in the penal sum of seven thousand dollars ($7,000) lawful money of the United States to which payment well and truly to be made and done unto the said commissioners or their successors in office for the use of the said county of Wayne.

We do bind ourselves our heir executors administrators and every of them jointly and severally firmly by these presents sealed with our seals and dated the thirteenth day of May Anno Domini one thousand eight hundred and eleven.

The conditions of the above obligation is such that if the above bound John Bever, William Henry, and Joseph H. Larwill or either of them their heirs executors or administrators do well and truly perform, execute and erect the following labors conveyances buildings and as wherein after specific to wit (the seat of justice for said county being permanently fixed in the town of Wooster aforesaid erect a building in the North West section of the public square in the town of Wooster aforesaid the front there of in a direction or line with the west side of Market street forty five by forty feet foundation of stone, two feet thick, three feet six inches high, or above the nearest surface of the ground and sunk therein a necessary depth the two upper courses of the stone work to be squared and ranged to the front and be well laid in good lime and sand mortar the front chiseled and convexed.

First story of brick eighteen inches thick, nineteen feet high, leaving joist holes for gallery at such places as maybe directed; second story of brick fourteen inches thick one? feet high well laid in lime and sand mortar, painted and penciled outside two stacks of chimneys. First tier of joists two girders joist framed in with ring posts well set on stone the joists not to exceed twenty inches apart, and of a proper size. Second floor or story two girders with ring posts under each the joist to be framed therin of a proper size and not to excede twenty inches apart.

The third floor or upper story at the square? of the building two girders with ring posts joist of a proper size framed therein not to excede two feet apart, two cross girders to be framed to prevent the wall from spreading iwth diagonal beams to support the corners.

Roof, a square roof falling or sloping each way from the center framed to a steeple also framed extending twelve feet above the roof either square or octagonal as may be directed, the whole cover with joint shingles not showing more than six inches of chessnut pine or cedar the whole painted spanish brown red.

Frarmed? Blocks and centells, one large door frame and as many window frames and of such size as may be necessary, also have each window and door and blocks where directed to be placed the whole one? thereof to be ???? and ornamented with proper kind of staff and thickness the cornish to be of the Doric order.

The cornish, being door and window frameds to be painted white, white lead and oil two sufficient coats, double folding door to meet the center of the entering space ordered at top doors to consist of six panels, each center five of the arch and lined in side a cork of six dollars, Philadelphia price with large strap hinges to each shutter reaching the breadth of the door, double or folding shutters to all the windows of the lower story, six panels to each shutter and lined the hinges either strap or potnuts, bolts of sufficient strength and in side bolts the whole painted with white lead and oil coloured as may be directed; the upper windows to be neat covered with plowed? boards so as to keep the weather from injuring the building the whole to be made of good materials and to be accounted in a masterly and workman like manner as any time having eighteen months notice from the county commissioners and further shoul trhey the commissioners think proper to make any alteration of the fore going plan either that the cost may be increased or diminished their requisitions to be compiled and in case of increase of cost such excess to be paid by the commissioners to the obligors when the work is completed or the deficiency to be paid in money by the obligors to the commissioners for the use of said county at the same time which alteration (if any) must be made known by the commissioners and the difference of price assertained at the same time they give notice to commence the building and further the said obligors do bind themselves as aforesaid to bring the water of the run which at present runs through this town from the North in pipes of sound white timber of a proper ??? well bored and laid and raise the water there from one the center of the ??? of said toward least ten feet above the surface there at and that the same shall forever remain free and clear of all encumbrance for the use, benefit, and convenience of the inhabitants of said town and that they have the privilage of conducting the same from thence in pipes and raised in pump stocks to any other part or parts of the town aforesaid and may be ??? and proper for the convenience to be regulated by a moajority of said town and the obligors aforesaid do further bind themselves their heirs to convey for simple two acres of ground also town lots No. 46, 47, and 48 for the use of an academy also lot No. 40 for a house or place of Public worship to be erected there on and upon the compliance and performance of all and singular the covenience and agreements entered into on the part of the aforesaid obligers then the above obligation to be said otherwise a fore?

Sealed and delivered in the presence of us: John Bever (signature and seal), William Henry (signature and seal), Joseph H. Larwill (signature and seal) Witnesses: Reasin Beall, John Sloane

—Transcription: dated 2019 by S. Zimmerman, Reference: Wayne County Commissioners Journals (Road Books) Book A (1812-1815) on Microfilm Roll 60-62 (aka Roll 16-18)

On the 30th day of May, 1811, John Bever, William Henry and Joseph H. Larwill, proprietors of the town of Wooster, filed a bond with Robert McClarran, Oliver Jones and Samuel Mitchell, County Commissioners, to build the first Court House in Wayne Co., on the northwest corner of the Public Square, in Wooster, which was accepted on the 19th day of July, 1816. On the 19th of December, 1817, Thos. Taylor and John Lawrence, Commisssioners, accepted the bond of James Childs and Thos. G. Jones to complete the Court House aforesaid. This building burned down in 1829.

—Author Unknown, 

• April 11, 1878: "1830-1878. Destruction of the Old Court House. Something of Court House History", Wooster Republican, p. 3.

Newspaper articles

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  Wayne County Courthouse history clipped part 1 of 3.