By Joe Bachman

Nothing short of extravagant, the Wood County Courthouse has taken more of a modern look in recent years.

A colored version an 1910 postcard of the Wood County Courthouse. (Courtesy: South Wood County Historical Corporation) *click to enlarge

Originally built in 1881, this was the second of three courthouses of the same name, the first being built in 1856 on 1st St. North.

The first meeting in any Wood County courthouse was held on Oct. 8, 1856, and had only two members — H.W. Jackson, and Eusebe Lavigne. The only item on the agenda for that day was the consideration of a petition for the establishment of the Town of Rudolph. On April 25, 1885, the first courthouse burned down due the work of an incendiary, though by then, the second courthouse had already been established.

The second courthouse was erected in 1881 at a cost of $40,008.63, approximately $1,143,000 today. It was built in the same area, on the corner of Fifth St. North and Baker St., facing towards Baker St.

Wood County Courthouse as it stands, today. (City Times Photo)

At the time the picture was taken in 1910, one could pick up a pound of cheese and bacon for under $0.50 cents and rent an apartment for around $12 dollars a month. Canned beer had yet to be invented, and if your city was lucky enough to have paved roads, the average maximum speed limit for a vehicle was 10 mph.

In 1956, the second courthouse was demolished in order to make away for the current courthouse on Market St. and in 2015, the Wood County Courthouse was listed in the National Register of Historical Places.