County seat war

A county seat war is an American phenomenon that happened mostly in the Old West as it was being settled.^[1] Although, there were similar events elsewhere, such as in southeastern Ohio.^[2] As new towns were created and county lines were drawn, there was intense competition for the status and tax benefits received by becoming a county seat. These "wars" often involved nothing more than lining up at the ballot box. However, sometimes people from a particular town would use voter fraud, intimidation or violence.

County Seat War Media

Vigilantes in the 1893 Tucker County Seat War, West Virginia

References

↑ Mason, Henry F. "County Seat Controversies in Southwestern Kansas" The Kansas Historical Quarterly 2:1 (February 1933) 45-65. (retrieved from The Kansas Collection August 29, 2006)
↑ Thrane, Susan W. County Courthouses of Ohio. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 2000, 119.

Other websites

West Virginia newspaper clips about county seat wars

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[1] Mason, Henry F. "County Seat Controversies in Southwestern Kansas" The Kansas Historical Quarterly 2:1 (February 1933) 45-65. (retrieved from The Kansas Collection August 29, 2006)

[2] Thrane, Susan W. County Courthouses of Ohio. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 2000, 119.

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