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Delaware
County was either named in honor of Senator John Middleton Clayton’s
native state Delaware, or it was named after Thomas McCraney’s home
county in New York state. McCraney was a member of the first
Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Wisconsin.
The county was
established in 1837. The first county seat was located at Eads’
Grove. The town was named Elizabeth, in honor of Mrs. Elizabeth
Bennet, the first woman settler of the county. The residents of the
county were extremely dissatisfied with this location. They obtained
the permission to choose another site, and the site they chose was Delhi.
The choosing of Delhi
as the county seat is rather interesting. The selecting committee
wanted to locate the county seat in the geographical center of the county,
but there was no timber or water in the center of the county. After
visiting several locations, the committee was approaching the site of
Delhi. Suddenly a deer sprang up and ran off. It was suggested
that they kill the deer and stake a site at that location. This was
done, and Delhi became the county seat.
Four long years passed
before the county could raise the $200 needed to purchase the land for the
county seat. Finally two residents of the county offered to loan the
county the $200. The county sold county orders at 50 cents on the
dollar to reimburse the two residents.
In the winter of
1843-1844 a hickory log courthouse was built at Delhi. This
courthouse was the first building erected in the county seat. Another
courthouse was built in the early 1850s, but it soon became too small for
county business.
A new county building
was erected in 1857. The cost of the two-story brick structure was
$5,000. The architecture was of unique style. It was said to
“resemble some battlements of the feudal ages, without possessing any of
their beauty or grandeur.”
A battle over the
county seat developed between Manchester and Delhi. Several
elections were held over the location of the county seat. Manchester
failed all them, except the last one held on November 2, 1880.
Following this
election, the citizens of Manchester quickly constructed a two-story frame
courthouse, complete with a vault. This building was a temporary
structure, and a more elaborate building was constructed in 1894.
The red brick building cost $36,860 to build, not including $800 for
plumbing. Seven hundred county citizens bought a clock that was
placed in the tower in 1895. This courthouse, the fourth for
Delaware County, was dedicated on January 7, 1895.
Employees of
Delaware County held a centennial open house on September 7, 1996 to honor
the existing building. Each office participated in fundraising,
giving tours, baking cakes to share with the visitors, and games or
displays for all to see. T-shirts and sweatshirts were printed and
sold to the public.
In conjunction
with the open house, the Auditor, Treasurer, and Recorder's Offices were
renovated by installing wallpaper, carpet, new paint, and restoring all
the original woodwork in each office. The lobby area on the main
floor also was painted and the woodwork restored.
The upper level
and court room were updated in 1998. The court room was painted and
several offices of the court area were remodeled, painted and carpeted.
Future plans include a renovation of the basement level and Assessor's
Office.
-from
Deb Peyton, Delaware County Recorder, 2002
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