Union County, Ohio - Chapter 5: County Government, 1915

Chapter 5: County Government

Counties, like states and nations, have tiieir own special governments and local departments. The county seat of L'nion county at first was fixed temporarily at Mil ford Center, and there the first courthouse was erected, a frame building having attached thereto a jail.

The legislative act creating Union county, passed February 25, 1820, had as one of its provisions that: "Stephen Bell, of the county of Greene, Reuben Wallace, of the county of Clark, and John Huston, of Newark, in the county of Licking, be and they are hereby appointed commissioners to fix the seat of justice in the county of Union." This commission was to make its report to the next court of common pleas, which was no doubt carried out, though we find no such record. The first place in the records where Marysville is mentioned as being the count}' seat is under date of May 15, 1821, when it was "ordered that David Comer be paid one dollar and fifty cents per day as director of the town of ]\Iarysville, the seat of justice of this county." It appears elsewhere that Mr. Comer had been appointed director of Marysville, July 10, 1820. An account of the lot sale is found elsewhere so need not here be further mentioned. Marysville was laid out August 10, 1819.

The Sever.Vl Courthou.Ses

Union county has had four courthouses during its history. The first was the small frame building erected at Mil ford Center, above mentioned. This old building was moved in 1907 to the county fair grounds at Marysville, more as a time-honored relic than for an\" use it might be put to.

The second courthouse was the first one erected at Marysville. It was a rude frame building standing on the south side of East Center street, on the east side of the alley, between Center and East streets. This was in use for court purposes about ten years. It was two stories high, with a log jail in its rear.

The third courthouse was a brick structure which served until steps were taken in 1834. at the March session of the board of county commissioners, which body, composed of James Herd. William B. Irwin and Da\id Galland, ordered "that notice be put up b\- the auditor, that a proposal will be received at their session in June next, for making and laying into the walls of a courthouse, from one hundred to one hundred and fifty thousand bricks, to be completed by the first day of August, 1835; the bricks to be nine inches long, four and one-fourth inches wide, and two and one-fourth inches thick after being burnt ; the bricks are to be of the first quality, and computed in the walls, the doors and windows to be reckoned in the count ; the walls to be two lengths of a brick thick, all liut the gable end and partition." June 6, 1834, the commissioners agreed to levy two and one-half mills tax per dollar on the grand levy, for the purpose of building a court house, three and onehalf mills for county expenses, and two mills for road purposes. On the 30th of the same month, they examined bids for brick, and awarded the contract for building the walls of the court house to Harvey Ward, his proposals being the lowest and best. December 12, 1834, the commissioners met to form a definite plan for a court house, and Levi Phelps was ordered to procure a draft, also the advice of competent judges, as to the best manner of laying of the court house - "whether the court room shall be formed on the first or second floor, and also for placing the jury rooms; also the height of each story."

December 27, 1834, the commissioners met to make arrangements for covering and inclosing the "contemplated court house in the town of Marysville" ; employed Nathan Adamson to furnish a draft, description and schedule of necessary timbers to be used, and ordered the posting of notices for proposals for furnishing said timbers and materials, and "doing the carpenter work for inclosing said court house." Proposals were to be opened January 22, 1835. Another meeting was held on the appointed day, but tlie record does not show who was the successful bidder. Harvey Ward was on that day allowed one hundred dollars in part pay for stone work for the foundation of the building to enable him to pay for hauling said stone. A very lengthy description of the building, from the plans drawn, is given in the commissioners record for March 3, 1833, and it must have required nearly as long a time to compile it as it did to erect the court house. June 6, 1835, the commissioners appointed William Page "superintendent over the performance of labor in building the walls of the court (house) in the town ot Marysville." On the same date, they agreed that the auditor might "enter into an agreement with Henry Kezartee for his purchase of twenty feet in front and five poles back of lot No. 50, the lot on which the present court house stands."

work in the court house, and found that one hundred antl ninety-four thousand three hundred and forty-eight bricks had been used in the construction of the walls. The total amount paid Ward was one thousand eighty-five dollars and forty-one cents. March 8, 1836, it was agreed that the stairs, doors, floors, window casings and painting should be completed, and proposals for the same were advertised for, to be opened on the j8th day of the same month. On the da\' appointed, Silas G. Strong was awanled the contract for laying the floor and filling in ashes on the same as high as the second tier of joists. Adam W'nlford received the contract for building the stairs, casing the windows, making the doors, etc., and Benjanfin Hopkins was awarded the painting contract. The job of painting was accepted as satisfactory on the 9th of July following.

July 16, 1880. the board o,f county commissioners, having contracted for certain lands for a court house site, executed bonds of the county in the sum of forty-five hundred dollars, payable in four and fi\e years, to Mrs. Drusilla Cassil, who executed and delivered to the board a warranty deed for said lands, described as all of in-lot Xo. 67, and two-fifths of the south half, east side of out-lot No. 3, situated in the village of ^larysville. At the same date, the commissioners issued bonds in the sum of three thousand dollars to, and received a warranty deed from, the trustees of the Methodist Episcopal church of Marysville, for two-thirds of the south part of in-lot No. 66, in Marysville. being the ground on which the societ}-'s parsonage stood. The buildings on the land purchased were sold by the commissioners at public auction, for the sum of six hundred eighty-three dollars and ten cents, the parsonage alone bringing six hundred and twelve dollars. August 3, 1880, commissioner J. B. \\'helpley was authorized by the board to contract for six hundred thousand bricks for the new court house. David W. (iibbs, a Toledo architect, had been authorized, on the 16th of July, to prepare plans for the proposed building, and they w-ere unanimously approved August 14, 1880, upon the following resolution by Mr. Whelpley: "Resolved, That the plans, drawings, representations, bills of material, etc., made and presented bv David W. Gibbs. architect, for the purpose of being used in the erection of and completion of a courthouse in the county of Union, and state of Ohio, be and the same are hereby approved." September 22, 1880, the commissioners awarded the contract for erecting and completing the court house to Karst & Woodruff, for the siun of eighty-four thousand three hundred and fifty dollars. A somewhat lower bid from a Toledo firm was rejected on the ground of general incompetency. The Legislature, by an act passed April i, 1880, authorized the board of commissioners for Union county to issue bonds to build said court house, and they were subsequently issued to the amount of sixty-live thousand dollars; the}' were sold for sixtysix thousand two hundred and seventy-five dollars. A second act was passed in the winter following, authorizing the issue of additional bonds in the sum of twenty-live thousand dollars, and the commissioners carried out its provisions. The work was begun and pushed rapidly forward, and a magnificent, imposing structure now stands in the center of the space (north and south) designed for it, fronting to the east, with entrances also at the north and south. It is of brick, with cut stone and gah'anized iron trimmings, and is one of the finest edifices for county purposes in the state. Surmounting the well proportioned tower is a colossal figure of Justice, and in the tower is a fine clock and bell, the latter weighing twenty-five hundred pounds. The cost of the clock, which was set in place in November, 1882, was twentyfive hundred dollars. The building is heated entirely by steam, the apparatus having been purchased of Brooks & Kemper, of Dayton, Ohio, for fortythree hundred dollars. The dials of the clock are illuminated, and the interior of the building is very fineh- and tastefully frescoed. The entire cost of the structure, in round numbers, was about one hundred thirty-five thousand dollars. The county officers took up their quarters in it in December, 1882, but the court room was not quite ready for the sitting of the court in January, 1883, and the old building was necessarily used. The new court house is a model for beauty, elegance and convenience, and will be the pride of the citizens of the county for many years. The new court house was dedicated with appropriate ceremonies, January 27, 1883.

The commissioners who served during the erection of the building were J. B. Whelpley, J. T. Mahaffy and J. K. Dodge. David W. Gibbs was the architect. J. K. Dodge's term expiring December, 1880, N. Howard was elected as his successor: J. T. Mahaffy's term expiring December, 1881, Uriah Cahill was elected as his successor: J. B. Whelpley's term expiring December, 1882, Luther Liggett was elected as his successor. J. B. Whelplev had immediate superintendence of the building from the beginning of the work until the expiration of his term of office

The first jail at ^Tarysville was a double log structure which stood on the lot on the south side of Last Center street, in the rear of the court house.

It was used not only for a jail, but occasionally for a residence. On March 5, 1856, the commissioners ordered that the old jail lot (No. 50) be sold, with the view of purchasing a lot in another location, on which to build a new jail. At the same time, it was ordered that an advertisement for proposals for erecting a new building be inserted in the Marysville Tribiiiw. The part of lot No. 50 owned by Union county and occupietl Isy the old jail was sold .April 2, 1856. to K. J. Nugent, for one thousand dollars and fifty cents. A new lot was purchased b_\- (i. A. Cassill at the same time for six hundred dollars, and the new building was at once erected upon it. This was destroyed by fire on the night of December 22. 1870, having been for a number of years jjractically worthless as a place of detention for offenders against the law.

In the matter of purchasing a site for county buildings, and building a county jail thereon: "It appearing to the commissioners that due notice has been given b}- publication in two newspapers published in the county of Union, and b\" circulation of handbills, of their intention to purchase a site for a county jail and cmu-t house for said county of Union, at Marysville, Ohio, and of their intention to build a county jail thereon as soon as practicable ; thereupon, those matters came on for hearing upon the petitions for and the remonstrances against the proposed purchase of such site and building of such jail, and said petitions and remonstrances were heard and examined b\- the commissioners ; upon consideration whereof, the sai<l commissioners are of the opinion that a site should he purchased ami a jail built thereon as soon as practicable. The_\' have, therefore, this day purchased lot 55 (or 65), and one-third of lot 66, in the town of Marysville, Ohio, of H. Campbell, for the sum of twenty-five hundred dollars for the purposes and uses named abo\'e." Bonds were issued to the above amount ,A.ugust 10, 1872. For the purpose of building the new jail, bonds were issued to the amount of twenty thousand dollars. The contract for constructing the jail was let by the commissioners, ]\Iarch 28, 1873, the successful bidders being H. Rice and I. Grummons, and the contract price eighteen thousand six hundred and forty-four dollars. This sum covered the necessary excavations, the stone, brick and carpenter work, and e\^erytliing comijlete except heating apparatus. B}- the last of June, 1873, the stone foundation had been completed and the range work set, and the building was rapidly carried to completion. The entire cost of the structure was about the same as the amount of bonds issued, twenty thousand dollars. It was of a tasteful design, the front portion being finely fitted for the residence of the sherifl:'.

when a contract was awarded to the Champion Iron Works, of Kenton, Ohio, to erect a new building for hke uses, at the price of nine thousand nine hundretl and ninety-se\en ilollars. This is the present jail on the courthouse square.

June 7, 1841). the commissioners, after due consideration, agreed unanimously to levy a tax for the purpose of purchasing land on which to erect a county poor-house, and a tax of one-half mill on the dollar of valuation, or a total of about eight hundred and fifty dollars, was ordered. In December, 1850, seventy-fi\e acres of land were purchased by Josiah Kelsey, to be used as a poor-farm. January 5, 1850, the contract for erecting a building on the premises had been let to James iVIcIlroy, for the sum of fourteen hundred dollars.

The building, as constructed, was forty by thirty-one feet in dimensions, two stories high, with a hall across the middle: also a wing, one story high, with a cellar under, and a jiorch in frt)nt of the wing eight feet wide; the whule building constructed (jf brick. Mcllroy, to whom the contract was first awarded, was subsecjuently put under bonds for an offense against the state, and the board of commissioners re-awarded it March 4, 1850, to James W. Evans, for one thousand four hundred and nine dollars. Final settlement was made with him March 5, 1851, and at the same time John Johnson, John W. Cherry and Joshua Marshall were appointed poor-house directors. Mr. Cherry died early in 1857, and Thomas E. Brown was appointed to fill the vacancy. In the winter of 1866-67, an amount of land ec^ual to the original purchase was bought of G. W. Kent, making a farm of one hundred and fifty acres. May ic), 1870, the commissioners advertised for proposals for five hundred thousand brick, and on the 6th of June following authorized the le^'y of a tax of two mills on the dollar for the purpose of building a new infirmary. January 30. 1871, commissioners Joseph K. Richey and James Fullington, and infirmary directors, John F. Sabine. Daniel G. Cross and John Guthrie, met and considered plans for the new building, and adopted the one presented by Jones and Gartner, architects, of Columbus, Ohio. March 31, 1871, the commissioners met to consider bids for erecting the building, and the contract therefor was awarded to R. X. Jones & Company, of Delaware, Ohio, for twenty-seven thousand six hundred dollars; their bid not including heating appliance. Several other firms competed for the work. Several changes were made in the plan, and the entire cost, exclusive of heating apparatus, was increased to twenty-nine thousand two hundred dollars. June i. 1871, honds were issued to the amount of twenty-five thousand dollars, to procure funds for proceeding with the work of construction ; tlrey were disposed of in New York City, by W. \V. \\'oods, for twenty- fiiur thousand five hundred dollars, which sum was placed to the credit of Union C(junt)- in the Bank of Marysville.

By a report made in 1913, it is learned that the farm now contains tw(j hundred acres of fine land, wurth thirty thousand dollars. The present building' is a four-story structure with a baseiuent and has one lunulred rooms. It has steam heat and acetylene lights throughout. There is a threeacre garden and a six-acre orchard. Pciurteen cows are kept: fi\'e iKjrses are used on the farm; four inmdred chickens are also found al)out the preiuises. In December, lyi-f. there were twentv-five men and tweKe women in the institution. The axerage in i(;i4 was twenty-fi\'e males and thirteen females.

The first children's home for Union count}- was started in March, 1884, when the homestead of \\'illiam Gibson, one luile to the east of the city of Marysville, was rented and the institution was opened April i, of that year. It o]5ened with twenty-five chiklren, and Mr. and Mrs. Bvron Turner were placed in charge. .At their January, 1887, meeting, the countscommissioners selected a new- site for the home, a niuet\--five-acre tract tw-o miles east of the city on the Marysxille and Dover pike, paying si.\ty-five dollars per acre for the laud, with fair farm buildings on the same.

In 1900, the county commissioners ordered a new building erected for the home, the cost being ten thousand dollars. The oflicial report for December, 1913, shows that the institution consisted -of ninety-six acres, tw-o miles east of the city, on land w-orth one hundred and fifty dollars per acre. The building is of pressed brick; contains thirt\- rooms and cost when finished, thirteen thousand dollars. It is in e\ery particular modern in appointments. A good water system is had, making all sanitarx- and safe. Stock and chickens are kept to good ad\-ant;ige. There were at the close o\ 1913, nineteen children at the home. !\Ir. and Mrs. J. M. Vox are the superintendent and matron of the home and have been for the last fifteen years. The superintendent rejiorted January i, 1915, sixteen girls and three boys as inn-iates of the home.

The first recorded meeting of the board of county commissioners was held April 17, 1820, the following being the only entry found regarding it: "Joel Frankelberger, being appointed clerk of the board of commissioners and dul}- qualified to ofiice. there is deposited with said clerk one bond of James Ewing, sheriff, and one of Joseph Kennedy, coroner." April 28, 1820, the sum of one dollar per month was allowed for the hire of the clerk's office. May 15, the commissioners "received pay for William Buram's license as a ta\ern keeper ; also, received pay of Sanders & Davis in the use of the house for cost one year. Received of the county money, in cash, fiftycents." June 5, allowed to Thomas Reynolds, for his services as clerk of the court of common pleas, forty dollars for one year, also, allowed five dollars to Nathaniel Kazar, for making a table for the clerk of the court. On page forty-four. Record No. r. is the following: "Ordered, by the commissioners of Union county, that Levi C. Phelps, surveyor of said county, shall commence running the line around the county on the last week of July, 1820. calculating the variation of the compass in order to run the true course."

The business of the early commissioners seems, from the records, to have been mostly in the line (if issuing orders on the treasury and attending to road matters.

June 2. 1823, the commissioners met at Alarysville, and appointed Richard Gabriel, Esq., treasurer for that year, and John Reed, collector for the same time. June 4, 1827. (ienrge Reed. Henrx- Sager and James Herd, commissioners, met and ]3roceeded, with the auditor, to form a board of equalization. "Andrew Noteman's house, appraised at four liundred dollars, reduced to three hundred dollars: Rueben P. Mann's two lots, formerly in the name of Samuel Kazar, and one house, all fomierly appraised at two hundred and si.xty dollars, reduced to one hundred and fift\- dollars." June 3. 1827, "The commissioners of Union county accepted a certain license for vending goods, liearing date, October term. A. D. 1825. for the term of one year, granted to Lanson Curtis. A law being passed, at the session of the winter previous, altering the mode of collecting taxes, c(immencing and taking effect on the first day of March, 1826, the abo\-e laid over for further consideration." Under the same date, the record says: "The foregoing license given to Lanson Curtis, the commissioners of L'nion county, after a full investigation, agree tn allow and refund back to the said Curtis the amount of the proportion which would accrue on said license for six months.

amounting to seven dollars and fifty cents." At the same date the commissioners, having been notified of a vacancy in the ot^ce of county auditor, appointed Levi Phelps as auditor pro tern.

November 4, 1828, by order of the commissioners, Levi Phelps began surveying the boundaries of the townships in Union county in the following order: I'nion, Darby, Jerome, Allen and the line between Liberty and Leesburg. June 6, 1827, a tax of three mills on the dollar was levied for road purposes and four mills for county purposes. March 3. 1828, the bond of county auditor, Levi Phelps, was received, he having been elected to the office in October, 1827. March 4, "Ordered, by the commissioners of Union county, that Levi F'helps, surve^'or of Union county, proceed to establish the eastern boundary of Union county, to commence on the 24th of this instant." Also, same date, ordered "that notice be forwarded to the board of commissioners of Delaware county notif}ing them of their intention of establishing the abo\e mentioned boundary line, commencing on the above mentioned date, to meet at Ephraim Markley's, on Scioto, on said day." March 5, 1828, Stephen McLain was appointed to the office of county sealer, and Levi Phelps was authorized to cause all necessary repairs to be performed on the court house and present his account to the ne.xt board of commissioners. June 5, 1828, the commissioners placed the tax for that year at three mills to the dollar on the grand levy, and four mills for county purposes. At the same date, Levi Phelps was ordered to proceed to sur\ey and establish the east line between the counties of Franklin and L^nion, and also establish the southeast comer of Union county agreeably to an act of the Legislature, passed January 10, 1^20, erecting the county of Union; to commence on the third Monday in July following. Notice of said step was ordered to be forwarded to the clerk of the commissioners of Franklin county. It was also ordered that Mr. Phelps proceed to establish the lines of the several townships, the lines between L'nion and Marion, and LTnion, Hardin and Logan counties, and give the required notice to the commissioners of the difl:'erent counties. December 2, 1828, Mr. Pheljis having been unable to complete the surveys of the aforementioned county and township lines, was ordered to complete the unsurveyed balance, instructions being given him to the manner of procedure. He had not quite finished his work in March, 1829, and was given further time.

June 6, 1849. ordered that the bounty on wolf scalps be increased to three dollars and fifty cents on each wolf under six months of age, the county paving the excess of two dollars and fifty cents. June 6, 1850, the commissioners authorized the levy of four thousand dollars in Paris township for aid to the Marysville & Delaware Plank Road Company, four thousand dollars in the same township for the Clark & Union Turnpike Company, and half the same sums in Union township for the same roads, with further orders for levies in 1851. Neither this plank road nor any other was ever built in the county, and the taxes levied were not collected. April 7, 1851, the voters of the county, bv a \ote of one thousand two hundred and twelve to scA'en hundred and seventy-nine, decided to raise a tax of seventy-five thousand dollars for stock in the Springfield & Marysville railroad, and twelve thousand five hundred dollars in the Indiana, Piqua & Columbus railroad, should the latter be constructed through Milford Center, with other provisions. Subsequent to this election, the commissioners subscribed the abo\-e amounts in the bonds of the county, those officers at the time being J. ^^'- Robinson. M. H. VVadhams and William T. Fulton.

June 5, 183 1, the commissioners directed the sheriff to "keep the door of the court room closed, and exclude therefrom all shows and exhibitions for gain ; provided, however, that agricultural exhibitions and lectures on the arts and sciences are not to be excluded, on proper occasions, for the use of said room." December 8. 1852, further action was taken in the matter, which resulted in the promulgation of the following order : "It is hereby ordered that the court room be closed against all meetings, excepting political meetings, wherein three or more townships may be represented, and in all such meetings the carpet is to be carefully removed: also, that the rooms in the lower story of the court house, not now occupied by county officers, be immediately \-acated: also, that it is contrary to our views of propriety for officers who are entitled to rooms in the court house to rent the same to be used for any kind of business, or to receive an inmate, as a joint occupant of their room, when such inmate is not a county officer. The county sheriff to enforce these regulations, so far as they relate to the second story of the court house, and the county auditor to enforce them so far as they relate to the lower story."

March 9, 1853. the commissioners ordered that the line between Union and Madison counties be surveyed and marked, agreeably with an act of the Legislature passed April 9. 1852. June 8, 1853, an order was issued for the incorporation of the village of Milford, in accordance with a legislative act dated May 3, 1832. August 4, 1866, a petition having been presented at a previous term, the commissioners issued another order for the incorporation of the place, under the name of Milford Center. June 2, 1857, it was ordered that one hundred dollars of the county fund l)e set aside for the support of a county teachers" institute, said money to be used in accordance with the pro\-i.sions of the statute for the support of such institutiniis. June 3, 1863, "allowed Dr. Hamilton fi\e dollars for dissecting a cat and delivering the stomach and bowels to Professor Wormley." December 5, 1865, the auditor was autlmrized to contract to rent a room for the use of the county treasurer. .\ safe for that office was purchased of Joseph L. Hall & Company, of Cincinnati, March 7. 1866. costing twelve hundred dollars deli\ered on the cars at that city. This safe was used until a new one was purchased in 1878.

!March 8. 1875, a survey of the line between Union and Champaign counties was ordered to settle a dispute regarding it among property owners along the line. The boundary between Union and Logan counties was finally settled March 8, 1877, the commissioners of the two counties meeting at Bellefontaine, Logan county, in joint session on that da}-, and receiving the reports of the sur\eyors who had run the line. It was found that lands supposed to be in Union were in Logan, and the former had expended seven hundred thirty-three dollars and twenty-three cents in impro\-ements, which sum was paid back by Logan county.

Unionville Center, in Darby township, was incorporated by order of the board of commissioners on the 5th of May, 1879. .'\t a joint session of the commissioners of [Jnion, Marion and Hardin counties, held at Richwood, yiay 16, 1879, a re-survey of the boundaries between Union and the other counties was ordered, to settle disjuite o\'er said lines. The surveyors made their report June 6. 1879, and it was found that the lines dififered materially from the supposed boundaries, whereupon the commissioners of the three counties ordered the lines run and permanently established. On the 9th of February, 1881, there being considerable uncertainty as to the boundary between Union and Delaware counties, the commissioners of the two ordered a survey thereof, with establishment, and, as elsewhere seen, their orders were carried out.

A public drinking fountain was provided for the public square in Marysville. in July, 1802, bx' the ladies of the city, who held entertainments to secure the necessarv funds with which to purchase it. Its cost was two hundred and twelve dollars.

At the November election in 1902 the question was \'oted on whether the taxpavers of the county should levy a tax to build a soldiers' memorial building in Marvsville. The measure was lost b)- four hundred and sixtvfive votes.