Editing Union County, Ohio (section)

===Formation===
As part of negotiations with Virginia, who had claimed land in Ohio, to sign the [[Articles of Confederation]], the United States granted them claims to land in Ohio which became known as the [[Virginia Military District]]. Union County was in this district. In 1803, Ohio became an independent state.

After lobbying by Col. James Curry, who represented the area in legislature at the time and a resident of what would become Jerome township, Union County was established by the Ohio legislature, and became official in 1820 with the appointment of the original commissioners: Stephen Bell, Reuben Wallace, and John Huston. The county commissioners eventually established the townships, including Union (1820), Darby (1820), Mill Creek (1820), Jerome (1821), Paris (1821), Liberty (1822), Leesburg (1825), Allen (1827), Jackson (1829), York (1834), Washington (1836), Dover (1839), Claibourne (1834), and Taylor (1849), while they designated Marysville as the county seat.

The town of Milford Center was established in 1816 by George Reed, Marysville in 1819 by Samuel Culbertson, Richwood in 1832 by Philip Plumber, Kingsville in 1834, Somerville in 1835, Watkins and Arbelia in 1838, Newton in 1838 by David Paul, York Center in 1841, Frankfort in 1846, Unionville in 1847, Pharisburg in 1847, New California in 1853, Dover in 1854, Union Center in 1863, Broadway in 1865, Pottersburg in 1869, Peoria in 1870, Magnetic Springs in 1879, and Claibourne in 1881.<ref>[http://contentdm.photohio.org/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/mpl_his1915&CISOPTR=3602&REC=1 History of Union County] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727173846/http://contentdm.photohio.org/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=%2Fmpl_his1915&CISOPTR=3602&REC=1 |date=July 27, 2011 }}, p. 100-104, accessed April 11, 2009</ref>

====County seat====
[[File:First Congregational Church Marysville.jpg|thumb|left|First Congregational Church, Marysville]]
After the organization of the county by the Ohio Legislature, Marysville was designated as the seat of Union County.<ref>[http://www.heritagepursuit.com/Union/Untitle.htm History, Union County], p. 313</ref> The first recorded meeting of the commissioners was in 1820.<ref>[http://www.heritagepursuit.com/Union/Untitle.htm History, Union County], p. 342, 347</ref> Between 1835 and 1840, a courthouse was constructed.<ref>[http://www.heritagepursuit.com/Union/Untitle.htm History, Union County], p. 318</ref> Eventually, a new courthouse would be built in Marysville, dedicated on January 27, 1883. This is the present courthouse today.<ref>[http://www.heritagepursuit.com/Union/Untitle.htm History, Union County], p. 319</ref>

In 1849, a county infirmary was authorized. The first county jail was a log structure that sat on the southside of East Center street, in the rear of the courthouse. Eventually, a new jail was authorized by the commissioners and built in the 1870s. In 1878, the county purchased a 10-ton safe for the treasury, that eventually was moved into courthouse.<ref>[http://www.heritagepursuit.com/Union/Untitle.htm History, Union County], p. 323-324</ref>

The first county fair was held in 1847 in Marysville, in the public square. In 1852, the Agriculture Society moved the fair to the current location, on the northside of town.<ref>[http://www.heritagepursuit.com/Union/Untitle.htm History, Union County], p. 328</ref>

In 1866, the Union County Teachers' Institute was organized in Marysville, with Franklin Wood serving at the first President. In 1882, the Normal School was organized by J.S. Wharton, which specialized in instructing future teachers.<ref>[http://www.heritagepursuit.com/Union/Untitle.htm History, Union County], p.338</ref>
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