Crawford County, Ohio

Founding: April 1, 1826 (declared in 1820)
Parent county: Unorganized territory

Namesake: William Crawford (1722–1782), American explorer
Seat: Bucyrus (1826–) 

Land area: 402 square miles

Population (2010): 43,784

Population (historic): 4,791 (1830); 23,881 (1860); 31,927 (1890); 35,345 (1930)

Periods of population growth: 1830–1860; 1870s; 1940–1960

Subdivisions: Two cities; five villages; two CDPs; 16 townships

National Register listings: 26

Income (per capita): $20,590

Income (median household): $41,228
Business establishments: 847 (51.7 people per business)
Pre-1939 residences (estimated): 6,788 (33.8%)
Vacant houses: 2,457 (12.2%)
Sources of settlement: Pennsylvania, Germany, and New York

Bucyrus

Namesake: Unclear—perhaps Busiris, a legendary Egyptian city

Founding: 1822 (platting); 1823 (post office)

Population (2010): 12,362

Population (historic): 308 (1830); 2,180 (1860); 5,974 (1880); 10,027 (1930)

Periods of population growth: 1830–1850; 1860–1920; 1950s
Typology: Grid (with interrupting public square)

First Courthouse

Location: Bucyrus

Construction: 1832–1833

Years of service: 1833–1854

Typology: Cubic; brick; two-story

Style: Federal (?)

Architect: James Kilbourne

Cost: Unknown

Status: Razed

Features of note: Central cupola; three-by-two bay arrangement.

For an illustration, see this book.

Second Courthouse

Location: 112 East Mansfield Street (Bucyrus)

Construction: 1854–1856 / 1906–1908

Years of service: 1856–

Typology: Front-gabled (much-enlarged); stone; two-story

Style: Classical Revival

Architects: O.S. Kinney / Harlan Jones

Cost: $18,000 ($498,818 in 2017 dollars)

Status: Extant; functional

Features of note: Pedimented clock tower with dome; copper rooftop balustrade; pedimented portico; denticulate entablature; tympanum carvings; fluted Corinthian columns; one-over-one windows with crossettes; intricately carved doorway surround.

More photos.


Sources: Wikipedia; United States Census Bureau; History of Crawford County and Ohio (Baskin and Battey, 1881).