Town Hall & Wayne Township House

Town Hall and Wayne Township House. Versailles, Ohio. The Town Hall and Wayne Township House is located on ground donated to the village in 1837 by J. C. Wood for the purpose of a Market Place., By the spring of 1875, Village and Township residents wished to build a joint town hall and township house on Market Space., A letter signed by Village Council members John Horner, John C. Klinesmith, J. W. Keanan, John E. Fackler, Perry Marker and E. F. Sheffel along with Wayne Township Trustees Barthold Engelken and Prosper Dabe was sent to J. C. Wood, who had moved to Shawnee County, Topeka, Kansas, to inform him of this intent., His response dated June 8, 1875: , "Gentlemen: I have considered this matter and would say that at the time of laying off my addition to Jacksonville (now Versailles) in which the Market Place is located, I donated said Market Place for the good and benefit of the town, and when towns get large they need such buildings as you designate and I here say that I have not the slightest objection, and hereby give my full and cordial consent, that you may erect thereon the building you specify in your communication for Engine and Market House, Mayor's Office and Town Hall." , Yours truly, James C. Wood, Description of Town Hall and Wayne Township House , The Versailles Town Hall and Wayne Township House was completed in 1876 primarily by local builders. It is a fine example of Italianate style architecture, rarely found in public buildings in rural western Ohio villages., Located on a parcel of land previously called Hay Scales (Market Place), it is one of the few downtown structures that escaped the Big Fire of 1901., Originally, it served to house the village and township government, a jail, a fire station and a community meeting room., An open stairway leads to the second floor into a large open room with a stage. Here, traveling medicine shows, local plays and other forms of entertainment were offered to the public., The structure is a rectangular two story, six-bay building with a low pitched hipped roof. There are 23 windows and six entrances., Distinctive architectural features of the building include the large double doors at the entrance topped with a prominent (covered) transom and the words "Town Hall" in old style English script. It is adorned with Fleur-de-lis motif window caps., Originally the roof and cornices were made of iron. The door and window caps were galvanized iron., Gone are the wrought iron balcony located above the double door entrance and the large hipped roof, wooden cupola which housed the town bell that rang for fires and the town curfew., Today the building houses municipal and township offices, a meeting room and the police department., It was listed on the National Registry of Historic Places in 1981 because of its place in local history and because of its well-preserved historic architecture., Fire Department , A portion of the combination town hall and township building was used to house fire equipment. After the Fire Department outgrew the space, it served to house the newly formed Rescue Squad., Today both the Fire and Rescue Departments have new headquarters at the north edge of the village.