WCCVB Visitors Guide 2020

Wayne County History
Wayne County, Ohio, named for famed Revolutionary War
Brigadier General Anthony Wayne, was organized largely
within its present borders in 1812. The county was carved
out of the huge Wayne County in the Northwest Territory
which originally took in parts of Ohio and several other
states. Wooster, the county seat since 1808, was established
by John Bever, William Henry, and Joseph Larwill, and named
after General David Wooster, another Revolutionary War
hero. Today, Wayne County is the 13th largest county in Ohio,
covering more than 550 square miles.
Wayne County’s rich soil and plentiful water supply have
continuously supported a strong agricultural community.
Farms and roadside produce stands are still present and
thriving in the county today. In the late 1800s, Wayne
County began to expand industrially with a presence in
the coal mining industry and access to the Pittsburgh,
Ft. Wayne, and Chicago Railroad (which later became
the Pennsylvania). Today Wayne County is home to many
world-renowned businesses such as The Wooster Brush
Company, ArtiFlex, Schaeffler Group USA Inc. and The
J.M. Smucker Company.
The Lincoln Highway Historic Byway runs through Wayne
County. Designated by red, white and blue signs, this route
follows the original 241 mile Ohio 1928 alignment that
stretched from New York City westward to San Francisco.
The Lincoln Highway opened the western portion of the
country to auto travel in the early 20th century. Today, as
you travel this scenic route through Wayne County, you
will experience some of “Main Street Across America,”
the Highway’s original slogan. Downtown Wooster and
Dalton, both on the Highway route since 1913, let visitors
experience tree-lined streets, historical buildings
and replicas of the original posts that designated the
Lincoln Highway route.
We are proud to be home to many beautiful and inspirational memorials
to our military veterans, including the Veterans Memorial in Smithville,
pictured above. We thank all veterans and those currently serving for
continuing to fight for our freedom and the ability to travel throughout this
great country.
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