Portage County, Ohio

Founding: June 7, 1808
Parent county: Trumbull

Namesake: A portage
Seat: Ravenna (1808–)

Land area: 487 square miles

Population (2010): 161,419

Population (historic): 2,995 (1810); 24,419 (1850); 27,500 (1880); 42,682 (1930)

Periods of population growth: 1810–1840; 1870s; 1910–1930; 1940–1970

Subdivisions: Five cities; six villages; two CDPs; 18 townships

National Register listings: 48

Income (per capita): $25,097

Income (median household): $50,447
Business establishments: 2,969 (54.4 people per business)
Pre-1939 residences (estimated): 9,670 (14.3%)
Vacant houses: 6,773 (10%)
Sources of settlement: Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, England, and Germany

Ravenna

Namesake: Ravenna, Italy

Founding: 1808 (platting); 1805 (post office)

Population (2010): 11,724

Population (historic): 306 (1830); 2,188 (1870); 4,003 (1900); 8,019 (1930)

Periods of population growth: 1840–1880; 1890–1930; 1940–1960
Typology: Grid (with courthouse square)

First Courthouse

Location: Ravenna

Construction: 1809–1810

Years of service: 1810–1829

Typology: Side-gabled; braced-frame; two-story

Style: None

Builder: John Tappan

Cost: Unknown

Status: Razed

Features of note: Irregular fenestration; seven-bay facade; rake boards; box cornice; attic vents; twelve-over-eight windows; operable shutters.

For a photo, see this page.

Second Courthouse

Location: West Main Street (Ravenna)

Construction: 1828–1830

Years of service: 1830–1881

Typology: Front-gabled; brick; two-story

Style: Federal

Architect: Zenas Kent

Cost: $7,000 ($163,413 in 2017 dollars)

Status: Razed

Features of note: Octagonal louvered tower; pedimented portico; modillions; Ionic columns; three-bay facade; round-arched recesses; rectangular lintels and sills; six-over-six windows; operable shutters.

For photos, see this page.

Third Courthouse

Location: West Main Street (Ravenna)

Construction: 1881–1882

Years of service: 1882–

Typology: Irregular; brick; three-and-a-half-story

Style: Romanesque

Architect: Samuel W. Lane

Cost: $39,622 ($1,021,638 in 2017 dollars)

Status: Razed

Features of note: Ornate central clock tower with finials; mansard roof; steep-roofed dormers with circular windows; corner finials; quoins; round-arched windows; rusticated stone string courses; corbelled cornice; Classical Revival porch.

For photos, see this page.

Fourth Courthouse

Photo by Jon Ridinger.

Location: 203 West Main Street (Ravenna)

Construction: 1961 / 2001

Years of service: 1961–

Typology: Irregular (modern); brick; two-story (with elevated basement)

Style: None

Architect: C.G. Kistler

Cost: Unknown

Status: Extant; functional

Features of note: None.


Sources: Wikipedia; Courthouse History; United States Census Bureau; History of Portage County, Ohio (Warner and Beers, 1885).