Read time: 4 min.

Few landmarks capture Ohio’s early history quite like the Ross County Courthouse in downtown Chillicothe. Grand but approachable with a stately portico and an intriguing lineup of offices that seem to blend 19th-century formality with small-town practicality, the building stands on ground that helped shape the state itself.

Named after Senator James Ross of Pennsylvania, Ross County was founded in 1798 as the sixth established in what was then the Northwest Territory¹. The county seat, Chillicothe, was platted two years earlier and took its name from a Shawnee word meaning “principal town².” The community sat near the center of the Hopewell tradition, which built many earthen mounds throughout the area. 

As Ohio moved toward statehood, Chillicothe hosted the Ohio Constitutional Convention. As a result, it served as the capital of the state beginning in 1803. The town held onto its title as Ohio’s capital until 1810, when the honor shifted seventy-four miles northeast to Zanesville. Just two years later, the government returned to Chillicothe for a brief encore, only to pack up again in 1816 and settle permanently in Columbus near the center of the state³. 

Ross County’s first courthouse was a square, “coffee mill” type structure built of Berea sandstone in 1801⁴. It became Ohio’s first statehouse in between stints of county use. Although the building was demolished in 1852 to make way for the present structure, a replica built in 1940 serves as the home of the longstanding Chillicothe Gazette⁵. Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture of it.

The present Ross County Courthouse was designed by architects Edward Collins and Charles Autenrieth. The brick building features a Greenfield Dolomite veneer⁶ and faces east in downtown Chillicothe. Four enormous columns with Corinthian capitals support a massive portico, which stood naked until 1859 when a seventy-five-foot cupola was erected⁷. A clock came eight years later⁸. 

If that were all there was to the Ross County Courthouse, it would still be a destination worth the detour. What really sets it apart, though, is the way its adjoining offices are laid out. Beginning with the probate judge and continuing through the sheriff, clerk, recorder, treasurer, and auditor, the building’s entire east façade unfolds like an old-fashioned version of a modern strip mall. It’s an odd arrangement, and I’ve never seen anything else quite like it in a courthouse.

Still standing proudly in the heart of downtown Chillicothe, the Ross County Courthouse embodies Ohio’s early identity. Few places in the state can claim to have been both a county courthouse and the state’s first seat of government, but Chillicothe wears that legacy with confidence. Whether you’re drawn by its architectural charm or its role in the state’s origin story, the present Ross County Courthouse is a timeless reminder of how history and daily life continue to meet on the streets of our small towns.

TL;DR
Ross County (pop. 76,606, 32/88)
Chillicothe (pop. 21,701)
Built: 1858
Cost: $100,000 (about $4 million today).
Architect: Edward Collins and Charles Autenrieth
Style:  Greek Revival
Courthouse Square: Lancaster Square
Height: Two stories
Current Use: County courts and offices
Photographed: 11/2/2019

Sources Cited
1 Howe, H. (1888). HIstorical Collections of Ohio, Volume 2. C.J. Krehbiel & Company [Cincinnati]. Book.
2 Chillicothe History (n.d.). City of Chillicothe [Ohio]. Web. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
3 Medert, P. (n.d.). Chillicothe and Ross County, Ohio. The Ross County Historical Society [Chillicothe]. Web. Retrieved October 20, 2025. 
4 Deacon, J. “Butler County”. American Courthouses. 2008. Web. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
5 A Replica of Ohio’s First Capitol (n.d.). The Historical Marker Database. Web. Retrieved October 20, 2025. 
6 (See footnote 4). 
7 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Chillicothe, Ross County, Ohio (1900). Sanborn Map Company. Map. Web. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
8 (See footnote 4).