(Submitted by Wood County Commissioners’ Office)
Plans are well underway to celebrate Wood County’s 200th anniversary in 2020, including a Gala Dinner and Benefit on Saturday, Oct. 26.
Social hour begins at 5:30 p.m. on the third floor of the Wood County Courthouse. Dinner is at 6:30 p.m. in the Alvin L. Perkins Atrium.
Tickets are $100 and seating is limited to 200. Reservations including payment must be made by Oct. 10. Checks should be made payable to Wood County Bicentennial and mailed to the Wood County Committee on Aging, 305 N. Main St., Bowling Green, OH 43402.
The Gala Dinner and Benefit will feature a presentation on local history and a performance of patriotic music. The event is organized by the Wood County Bicentennial Committee, created by the Wood County Commissioners to promote the anniversary and to preserve pictures, memorabilia and documents concerning the history of Wood County. The committee will also bring attention to the 125th anniversary of the Wood County Courthouse in 2021.
More information about the bicentennial can be found at www.WoodCounty200.org, including history, photos, bicentennial apparel and events being planned for 2020. Anyone with a suggestion for an event can submit it online.
Wood County is located on land that was once one of the thickest and most dangerous parts of the Great Black Swamp, and so while Native American tribes like the Wyandot and Ottawa sometimes traveled through the area, they did so only when absolutely necessary. After the Battle of Fallen Timbers, the land was deeded to Native Americans in 1795. The U.S. government purchased it back from the Wyandot, Ottawa, Delaware, Potawatomi, Seneca, Shawnee and Chippewa tribes through the Lower Maumee Treaty of 1817.
On Feb. 12, 1820, the Ohio Legislature authorized the creation of Wood County, along with 13 other counties, on this land. Wood County was named after Colonel Eleazer D. Wood, who was the planning engineer of Fort Meigs. Wood County initially included the area that would later separate to become Lucas County in 1835. Perrysburg was designated as Wood County’s seat in 1822, but it was changed to the more central location of Bowling Green in 1868.
Since 1820, Wood County has been part of the fabric of Ohio and United States history, having significant influences on both. The committee wants to celebrate that involvement and calls upon all citizens to participate by submitting memories, photos, or volunteering at events to help everyone in Wood County understand its history and recognize its contribution to our shared story.
