April 26, 1896 - Crawford County Seat "War" - 500 Armed Men Seize County Records
Courthouse Dispute Turns Ugly
April 26, 1896 - Crawford County Seat "War" - 500 Armed Men Seize County Records
From the Book:
Crawford County officials had voted to move the Crawford County Seat from Leavenworth to English; however, Leavenworth residents refused to surrender the county records. The standoff resulted in the Crawford County Seat War, the main combatants the residents of the towns of English and Leavenworth.
County Seat Conflicts
Conflicts between towns over the location of the county seat were common during the early years of the state. The county seat was the center of government. Thus, having the county seat meant that most of the county's residents would visit the town to conduct official business at some time during the year, sometimes multiple times. The increased traffic tended to benefit local businesses. Most of the time having the county seat led to an increase in population and property values. In the time of poor roads and difficult travel, most county residents wanted to have the county seat in a centralized location so all residents could get there with a minimum of travel.
Leavenworth and English
Leavenworth, platted in 1818, had been the county seat since 1843. Its location on the Ohio River on the southern end of the county made travel inconvenient for most county residents. English, platted in 1839, has a centralized location and by 1890 become the bigger town.
Relocation Efforts
Citizens of English began serious relocation efforts in October 1893 when they began circulating a petition that called for the move. The petition was published in the Crawford County Democrat, and the drive to relocate the county seat began.
Legal Struggle
The petition drive ended in January with 2,135 names collected that were in favor of the move. At the county commissioner meeting in January, the names were counted. 1,830 names were needed to approve the move, so it appeared that the petition had passed. However, 300 names were deemed illegal entries and another 330 were contested, so the final total of 1505, over 300 short of the required amount. The county commissioners voted to move the county seat, anyway, in spite of the failed petition. This move resulted in the citizens of Leavenworth filing a court suit. In 1894, a court ruled in favor of the move, however, Leavenworth officials appealed to the state Supreme Court. In January 1896, the Court upheld the lower court ruling.
Refusal to Transfer Records
Leavenworth residents refused to surrender the courthouse records, in spite of the ruling. Thus, English had won the legal battle, but was still unable to operate as the county seat. The town had already built a new courthouse in anticipation of the move, but the building sat empty. Thus, on April 26, 1896 500 armed citizens rode into Leavenworth, entered the courthouse and seized the records.