For the first few years of Wayne County’s existence, court sessions were held in a series of log homes and rented structures. The question of where the county seat would be located was a matter of no little importance, and the commitment made by John Bever, William Henry, and Joseph Larwill to construct a three-story brick courthouse on the northwest corner of the Public Square in Wooster was one of the conditions of a deal that transferred the county seat from its original location in Madison, atop what today is known as Madison Hill, to Wooster.
Between 1818 and 1819, a three-story brick building with a bell tower was erected, which housed county offices and the local Freemasons lodge in addition to the court. Alas, the structure lasted barely a decade, burning down in 1828, and today the only vestige of Wayne County’s first courthouse is its key, which is on display in the historical society’s permanent collection.
