Van Wert County, Ohio

Van Wert is a city in and the county seat of Van Wert County, Ohio, United States. It is located in northwestern Ohio approximately 77 miles (124 km) southwest of Toledo and 34 miles (55 km) southeast of Fort Wayne, Indiana. The population was 11,092 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Van Wert micropolitan area, which is included in the Lima–Van Wert–Wapakoneta combined statistical area. Van Wert is named for Isaac Van Wart, one of the captors of Major John André in the American Revolutionary War. A center of peony cultivation, Van Wert has hosted the annual Van Wert Peony Festival on and off since 1902. Van Wert is home to the first county library in the United States, the Brumback Library.

Van Wert City School District is a public school district serving students in the city of Van Wert, along with Liberty, Pleasant, and Ridge townships in Van Wert County in the U.S. state of Ohio. The school district enrolls 2,082 students as of the 2012–2013 academic year.The school district offers a released time bible education program through LifeWise Academy for elementary, middle school, and high school students. It is the flagship program for LifeWise.

The Brumback Library is a historic public library in the city of Van Wert, Ohio, United States. Opened at the beginning of the twentieth century in order to serve all residents of Van Wert County, it occupies an architecturally prominent building by David L. Stine, which was constructed with funds donated by a local businessman. The building has been named a historic site, partly because of its place as the first public library in the United States to serve an entire county.

Pleasant Township is one of the twelve townships of Van Wert County, Ohio, United States. The 2020 census found 10,928 people in the township.

The Marsh Hotel, often also referred to as The Hotel Marsh is located on East Main Street in downtown Van Wert, Ohio. Though it is no longer in operation it is a historic part of micropolitan Van Wert having seen many owners in its 100+ years in existence. At one point, the hotel served as the Van Wert station of an interurban railroad.

The Van Wert County Courthouse is a historic governmental building in downtown Van Wert, Ohio, United States. Located at 121 E. Main Street, the courthouse is a Second Empire structure built in 1876. It is Van Wert County's third courthouse: when the county was established, the village of Willshire was designated the county seat; Van Wert was made the seat in 1838, and a courthouse-and-jail complex was built in that community in the following year.Designed by T.J. Tolan, an architect from Fort Wayne, Indiana, the courthouse is a square structure with towers on all four corners. Its architecture combines copious amounts of brick and stone: the foundation and the walls of the first floor are stone, along with the pilasters, columns, and quoins on the upper parts of the exterior, while the walls of the remaining stories and of the tower are built of brick. Tolan employed multiple groundbreaking construction techniques throughout the structure, such as pressed steel; his success in using these innovations earned recognition for both him and the courthouse in a national trade journal. Rising above the front of the courthouse is a clock tower with a statue of Justice placed in a niche. Made of zinc, the statue is 8 feet (2.4 m) tall; before its installation at the courthouse, it was awarded first place in a Philadelphia sculpture competition.Today, county officials continue to use the courthouse for everyday operations. Among the offices in the courthouse are those of the county treasurer, the county recorder, the county auditor, and the Van Wert County Common Pleas Court. Some other county agencies maintain offices in other locations, such as the county sheriff and the county commissioners.In 1974, the Van Wert County Courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, becoming the first building in the county to receive this distinction. It qualified for inclusion because of its well-preserved historic architecture, which was seen as significant statewide.

The Van Wert Bandstand is a historic gazebo in Van Wert, a city in the far western portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. Built in 1874, this octagonal bandstand is a wooden structure crafted in the High Gothic Revival style. Among its most distinctive elements is its two-part roof: rising to a central point, the steep roof is split between upper and lower portions by a double cornice with an ornate frieze. Elaborate design continues down below the roof: the eaves underneath the roof's base rest upon carven brackets, which are secured to pillars whose capitals are trimmed with a sawtooth pattern. Finally, the entire roof is supported by a cross-shaped structure that features elements such as three musical notes.Besides its unusual design, the bandstand is significant for its place in local history. In the 1870s, such structures fulfilled the role of the third place in many communities such as Van Wert: they hosted political rallies, served as community bulletin boards, and became the starting points for citywide parades and musical events. Because of its role in the community, the bandstand has been relocated multiple times: it was built on the lawn of the county courthouse, moved to a local park in 1880, and was again moved to the Van Wert County Fairgrounds in 1906. After more than seventy years at the fairgrounds, the bandstand was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, both because of its distinctive architecture and because of its place in local history. It has not remained in this location — ten years after its addition to the Register, the bandstand was again moved; this time, it was placed on the grounds of the Van Wert County Historical Society Museum, where it remains today. Although structures that have been moved from their original locations are generally not eligible for inclusion on the National Register, an exception was made for the Van Wert Bandstand: its architecture and craftmanship have been exceptionally well preserved, and it is the only historic bandstand still in existence in rural western Ohio.

Van Wert High School is a public high school in Van Wert, Ohio, United States. It is the only high school in the Van Wert City School District. The school's athletic teams are named the Cougars and are represented by the mascot, Claw'd. The school's athletic conference is the Western Buckeye League.

The Marsh Foundation School is an alternative school in Van Wert, Ohio, United States. Housed in a complex of historic buildings along the former Lincoln Highway, the school and an associated children's home were founded to serve impoverished children throughout northwestern Ohio.Born in 1833, George H. Marsh settled in Van Wert at the age of twelve with his father. Growing to adulthood, he erected the present farmhouse in the first half of the 1860s; a two-story brick structure, it is a built in the plan of a cross. As the years passed, Marsh became very wealthy, and he became determined to use his wealth to help others. According to locals, Marsh and his family were returning home from Fort Wayne, Indiana on a winter night and saw two impoverished children, and consequently his wife Hilinda suggested dedicating their estate to children such as those two. After Marsh's death, his will provided more than $5,000,000 for the establishment of a foundation to administer the school. In 1923, the trustees contracted with Langdon, Hohly, and Gram, a Toledo architectural company, to build six school buildings on the Marsh farm. Since that time, the school and home have served the community of Van Wert, while the original house has been converted into a museum.In 1980, the Marsh homestead and school buildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places; twenty-one buildings across the complex qualified as contributing properties. The property qualified for inclusion on the Register both because of its distinctive architecture and because of its connection to Marsh: he was one of Van Wert's leading citizens, and the school buildings are among the best Jacobethan structures in western Ohio.

Vantage Career Center is a public vocational school located in Van Wert, Ohio. It serves school districts located in the counties of Allen, Mercer, Paulding, Putnam, and Van Wert. Classes are open to juniors and seniors in local high schools.