Washington Court House, Ohio, United States

🇺🇸 Washington Court House (often abbreviated as Washington C.H.) is a city in Union Township, Fayette County, Ohio. It is the county seat of Fayette County and is located between Cincinnati and Columbus. The area was initially settled by Virginia veterans of the American Revolution, who received the land from the government as payment for their service in the war.

History Washington Court House's first settlers appear to have been Edward Smith Sr., and his family, who emigrated from Pennsylvania in 1810. Smith and his family constructed a crude house in the thick woodlands near Paint Creek, but their efforts to clear the land were interrupted by his departure for military service in the War of 1812. Comparatively soon after returning from his martial pursuits, Smith drowned while attempting to cross a flooded creek, but his widow and 10 children survived and prospered despite the absence of their patriarch. Smith's descendants remained prominent in Fayette County for more than a century after his arrival from Pennsylvania, although many had left Washington Court House for other parts of the county. A family residence still stands on U.S. Route 62 not far outside the city's eastern boundary.

In 1833, Washington Court House (then known as Washington) contained a printing office, seven stores, two taverns, two groceries, a schoolhouse, a meeting house, and about 70 residential houses.

Numerous locations in the city are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Downtown, the courthouse square has been named a historic district, and a similar designation has been accorded the city cemetery. Nine individual buildings are separately listed on the register: Judy Chapel at the cemetery, the former Washington School, the Fayette County Courthouse, the former William Burnett House (no longer standing), and the Barney Kelley, Jacob Light, Rawlings-Brownell, Robinson-Pavey, and Morris Sharp houses.

Streets within the downtown part of the city around the courthouse building are arranged northeast–southwest and northwest–southeast, rather than east–west and north–south, so that each side of the courthouse receives some sunlight every day of the year.

1894 riot On October 16, 1894, a crowd gathered outside the Fayette County Courthouse with intent to lynch William "Jasper" Dolby, a black man who had been convicted of sexually assaulting a white woman. Ohio Governor William McKinley called out the militia to subdue the crowd. On October 17, the crowd rushed the courthouse doors and was warned to "disperse or be fired upon". They ignored the warning and continued to batter the doors.

Colonel Alonzo B. Coit ordered his troops to fire through the courthouse doors, killing five men. Colonel Coit was indicted for manslaughter, but was acquitted at trial. After the trial, Governor McKinley stated, "The law was upheld as it should have been… but in this case at fearful cost… Lynching cannot be tolerated in Ohio". The courthouse doors were not repaired or replaced and the bullet holes from the 1894 riot are still present in the south-east doors.

Geography Washington Court House is located along Paint Creek.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.80 square miles (22.79 km²), of which 8.74 square miles (22.64 km²) is land and 0.06 square miles (0.16 km²) is covered by water.

Media Washington Court House is part of the Columbus, Ohio, media market, so is served by several Columbus-area television and radio stations. The city has two local radio stations. Buckeye Country 105.5 FM (WCHO-FM) WCHO plays country music and (WCHO-AM) 1250 plays oldies. Both stations cover local news, sports, and agricultural stories. Washington Court House also easily receives radio and television stations from Dayton and Cincinnati.

The hometown newspaper of Washington Court House is the Record Herald. The Record Herald was formed from the merger of two dailies – The Record-Republican and the Washington C.H. Herald – in 1937. The latter paper's publishing history dates back to 1858 when it began as a weekly. As of 2012, the Record Herald reported circulation of 5,143 daily and 21,849 for weekend inserts.

Education Education in Washington Court House, Ohio, comprises two public school districts, as well as a private school and a community college. • Washington Court House City School District enrolls most school-aged children within the city limits of Washington Court House. • Miami Trace Local School District includes Miami Trace High School. • Fayette Christian School • The Fayette County campus of Southern State Community College

Washington Court House has a public library, housed in a historic Carnegie library building.

Transport: Air Fayette County Airport is a county-owned general aviation facility located north-east of Washington Court House.