Washington Court House, Ohio

Washington, Ohio redirects here. For the other municipality in Ohio once known as Washington, see Old Washington, Ohio.

Washington Court House is a city in Fayette County, Ohio, United States. It is the county seat of Fayette County and is located approximately halfway between Cincinnati, Ohio, and Columbus, Ohio. The population was 13,524 at the 2000 census. Until 2002, the official name of the city was the "City of Washington," but there already existed a municipality in Guernsey County, Ohio with the name "Washington" (now known as Old Washington, Ohio). To avoid confusion by the postal services, the Fayette County city was referred to as "Washington Court House." In 2002, a new charter was adopted, officially changing the name to the "City of Washington Court House." The name is often abbreviated as "Washington C.H."

Geography

Location of Washington Court House, Ohio

Washington Court House is located at 39°32′11″N 83°26′8″W¹, along Paint Creek.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.8 km² (6.5 mi²). 16.7 km² (6.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (1.08%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,524 people, 5,483 households, and 3,536 families residing in the city. The population density was 810.8/km² (2,100.8/mi²). There were 5,961 housing units at an average density of 357.4/km² (926.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.52% White, 2.71% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.82% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.66% from other races, and 1.12% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.38% of the population.

There were 5,483 households out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.5% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,003, and the median income for a family was $40,721. Males had a median income of $31,708 versus $22,382 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,618. 12.5% of the population and 9.0% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 16.3% are under the age of 18 and 13.2% are 65 or older.

Education in Washington Court House

There are two public school districts in the Washington C.H. area, as well as a private school, and a community college. Some people in the community feel as if the educational system in Washington Court House knits together otherwise disparate residents in this small town. Making up for the lack of a central cultural hub in the town is the strong involvement in the educational lives of Washington Court House children.

The writers of this section acknowledge that the official websites of the school districts in and around W.C.H. are relatively sub-par, and we therefore encourage students and residents of the town to participate in the construction of this site, which hopefully will shed a positive yet "insider" light on the true existence of the schools here.

Washington Court House City Schools

The Washington Court House City School District enrolls most school-age children within the city limits of Washington Court House. Presently, operating school buildings include:

• Sunnyside Kindergarten
• Belle Aire Elementary
• Eastside Elementary
• Rose Avenue Elementary
• Cherry Hill Elementary
• Washington Middle School
• Washington High School

The district also operates a combination administrative office and school bus garage. Each first through fifth grader attends school at one of the four elementary schools, while grades 6-8 take place at the historical Middle School. Washington High School consists of students in grades nine through twelve. The graduating class of 2005 was approximately 126.

Sunnyside Kindergarten

Sunnyside Kindergarten has been used as the Kindergarten building for 11 years. The famous hallways are brightly covered with beautiful murals. This school building is scheduled to be demolished in the "Capture the Dream" school facility reconstruction project.

Washington Elementary Schools

The four elementary schools, Belle Aire, Cherry Hill, Eastside, and Rose Avenue, will all be demolished (With the exception of the newer portion of Belle Aire) relatively soon in accordance with the school reconstruction project. New Cherry Hill and Belle Aire facilities will provide space for a K-2 "primary" school, and a 3-5 "intermediate" school.

Washington Middle School

In the school construction projects, a new Washington Middle School will be built adjacent to an entirely new High School. The historical building and grounds currently housing Middle School students is still up for debate as to what it will become.

Washington Middle School Drama and Choral Music

The Middle School Choir is directed by Jane Morse. Mrs. Morse has had her kids sing many songs from different styles such as "Don't Stop" a more rythmic piece to "Why We Sing" a more melodic harmonic piece. She and her partner in crime, Mrs. Wright, get students to volunteer their time to put on a Middle School Musical which are Junior Versions of usually Broadway Musicals. In the past they have done Annie Get Your Gun, Bugsy and Malone, The Music Man, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Oklahoma, and most recently The King and I. Mrs. Morse also has students who volenteer for Solo and Ensemble Competiton.

Washington Middle School Instrumental Music

The Band Department is led by Michelle Crockett. She and Matt Stanely, the High School Band Director, help students decide what instrument to play in the fifth grade. Mrs. Crockett takes the seventh and eight grade bands to Contest where they are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the best. Since Mrs. Crockett has been directing the bands they have both come away from Contest with Superior ratings. Mrs. Crockett also has students participate in a Solo and Ensemble Competition.

Washington Senior High School

The current High School rests on the 1200 block of Willard Street, on the eastern side of town. Originally, the current middle school was the town's high school, but in the district's late '60's attempt at expansion, the current high school was built.

Some residents protest that the high school does not participate in the National Honor Society, and that the district's substitute, the "Academy of Scholars," does not hold as much weight with colleges as the NHS. In fact, this may be true, but some top high-schools are eliminating class rank and even their AP or IB curricula in order to cease the catering to national conglomerates. It has been reported that those changes have actually helped students' entry into top colleges.

A new High School (and Middle School) building will be constructed on the massive Elm Street construction site, between the corner of Elm and Willard and the current McDonald's restaurant.

Washington Senior High has approximately 50 staff members, and approximately 600 students in grades 9-12. Only the school board is aware of numbers as to teacher/student capacity in the new schools.

Drama and Choral Music

Jeanne Rosendahl is the driving force behind Washington Senior High's theatre department, but would enthusiastically assert that her students are the true stars of the show. In the past several years, Washington has performed annual broadway musicals to high community acclaim, and to much community enjoyment. These shows have included South Pacific, Big, Footloose, Children of Eden, West Side Story, Beauty and the Beast, and, most recently, Seussical. Mrs. Rosendahl also commands several choirs each year: the concert choir, the symphonic choir, and the singing and dancing show choir. Look to official school district events to see choirs and smaller ensembles headlining the entertainment.

Instrumental music

Matt Stanley is the director of all instrumental music at the high school. His most noticeable contribution to the community is the large and powerful marching band. On Friday nights during the autumn football season, their booming bass drums and trumpeting highs can be heard across the downtown area. The style of the band is similar to that of Ohio University's Marching 110, of which Mr. Stanley is an alumnus. While the majority of Washington Court House-ians are devoted to Ohio State's football team, their band sympathies lie with OU for this reason. The WCH Marching Band plays an arrangement of classic rock, such as Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne and Jungle Love by Steve Miller Band, as well as modern day hits such as Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day and 1985 by Bowling for Soup. Recently they have performed shows including Renegade by Styx, Carry on my Wayward Son by Kansas and I Want You to Want Me by Cheap Trick. A trademark song is Long Train Runnin` by The Doobie Brothers. One of the most popular things the band does is their dance breaks, a trademark move in them is the splits.

"The band is so appreciative of the amount of support and love we receive from this wonderful little town. Thanks to all of you we can keep this long train running! GO BLUE!" - Anonymous band member

"This band has done so much for me. Everyone in it is great. Stan (Mr. Stanley) has given us band geeks the greatest thing ever." -Aaron Perry

The "Research History" Class

This invaluable asset to Washington Court House's high school curriculum places seniors within reach of leading national scholarship through the analyzation of primary source documents. The acclaimed instructor Paul LaRue guides and directs his students' efforts.

Some projects either completed or in progress are as follows:

• Compiling a single record of all who are buried in the Soldier's Home Cemetery, Washington, DC (the companion national cemetery to Arlington) from two separate and conflicting records. Washington C.H. High School seniors are the sole laborers in the U.S. to complete this project of national significance.
• Constructing and maintaining two websites on the Civil War U.S. Colored Troops, or USCT. One website is dedicated to USCT from Ohio and is highly ranked in Google searches.
• Obtaining and installing headstones for many unmarked black veterans in the Washington Cemetery, many from the USCT.
• Obtaining and installing headstones for unmarked veterans in the Bloomingburg Cemetery, Bloomingburg, OH. (For which the students earned an award from The History Channel, below)
• Compiling a publishable historical account of the Bloomingburg Cemetery
• Obtaining Historical Site Markers from the Ohio Historical Society for many historically significant areas in and around Washington Court House
• Developing pamphlets for distribution about various historical sites around W.C.H.

In 2005, the research history team sent two representatives to Washington, DC to compete in a national history research competition sponsored by "The History Channel." The program, called "Save Our History," included project submissions from hundreds of schools and extracurricular teams from across the country. Washington Court House's Research History class placed in the final four high school teams, and thus, was offered an all-expenses-paid trip for two student representatives to the nation's capital. For the same project work done, the class received plaques from the Veteran's Administration's headquarters in Washington, DC.

To Rebuild, or Not to Rebuild...

Some time ago, all residents voted on a levy in order to secure tax monies to replace the aging school buildings currently in use, with a total budget of $60,693,801. The majority of funds, $39,694,272, will be provided by state, while the local community will provide $13,946,000. Locally funded initiatives will provide an extra $7,053,529. The companies overseeing this project are Ruscilli Construction Co. Inc., Heapy Engineering LLC, Shell + Meyer Associates Inc., and Ruetschle Architects.

On May 7, 2006, a groundbreaking ceremony and celebration took place near the high school and Eastside Elementary to raise awareness and mount excitement for the buildings coming in the near future. A statement released on the district's web site regarding the new schools reads as follows:

(Upon the groundbreaking,) Washington City Schools will begin a two year construction project which will replace the existing facilities with four state-of-the-art school buildings. This exciting project received overwhelming community support by continuing a tradition of ensuring adequate funding for local schools. These new buildings, while not only bringing architectural beauty that adds to the richness of our community, will ensure that our students are provided with an education that is second to none. The schools are to be configured with K-2 housed in one facility, another "primary" facility for 3-5, a third Middle School building which will host 6-8, and the Senior High School where grades 9-12 will meet for classes. The schools include dedicated space for libraries, media, gymnasiums, fine arts, musical arts, outdoor sports facilities, and will support a technology-oriented infrastructure that will assure a comprehensive academic experience for our students. This major project is an unbelievable opportunity for our community and we enthusiastically anticipate inaugurating these four leading-edge facilities in September of 2008.

Miami Trace Local School District

The Miami Trace Local School District serves parts of the city in question, while providing education for almost every area in Fayette County which surrounds the city. The vast amount of land area covered by this school district, while less population-dense of an area, warrants a larger student body than the "city" school district. As a tradition, Miami Trace and Washington city schools are athletic rivals.

A new elementary school for Miami Trace is being built adjacent to the high school along S.R. 41-NW. This building will replace the small, reportedly 100-year-old elementary buildings dotted across the county.

Fayette Christian School

A small number of students attend Fayette Christian School, placing it as the only alternative to public education in Fayette county. It also seems to have the most well-designed website.

Southern State Community College

The Fayette County campus of Southern State Community College is widely used among residents of W.C.H. due to its open enrollement. High school students from Washington Senior High School and Miami Trace High School regularly attend classes here as a part of the Post-Secondary Enrollment Option. Like Advanced Placement credit, course credit at Southern State usually transfers to the students' university of choice.

Local Churches

Washington Court House has a high worship-center-per-capita ratio. The following are known churches in the area.

Gregg St. Worship Center- 424 Gregg St. [335-8625]

Washington Faith Family Church- 119 S. Main St. [636-1026]

Assembly of God- 1001 Old Chillicothe Rd. SE [335-8455]

Bible Baptist Temple- 4361 St. Rt. 41 NW [333-1001]

First Baptist Church- 301 E. East St. [335-0429]

Grace Community Church- 525 Glenn Ave. [333-5433] [1]

Second Baptist Church- 828 Columbus Ave. [335-5709]

Sugar Creek Baptist Church- 3263 US Rt 35 NW [335-2608]

Calvary Baptist Church- 1600 US Rt 35 NW [335-7127]

Fayette Bible Church- 1315 US Rt 35 NW [335-7495]

St. Colman of Cloyne Catholic Church- 219 S. North St. [335-5000]

Christian Science Society- 504 E. Temple St. [335-3039]

Church of Christ- 1550 St. Rt 38 NE [335-2837]

Church of Christ- 25 Mt. Olive Rd. NW [335-6729]

First Christian Church- 232 N. North [335-0905]

Hickory Lane Church of Christ- 364 Hickory Lane NE [335-2923]

South Side Church of Christ- 921 S. Fayette St. [335-3107]

Heritage Memorial Church- 1867 US RT 35 NW [335-1079] [2]

New Life Chapel Church of God- 1135 Leesburg Ave. [335-6308] [3]

First Church of God- 610 Harrison [335-2625]

Church of the Nazarene- 990 ST RT 41 SW [335-2641]

St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church- 733 ST RT 41 SW [335-2129] [4]

Jehovah’s Witnesses- 1702 US RT 22 NW [335-9219]

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church- 1003 N. North St. [335-4682]

Rodgers Chapel A. M. E. Church- 325 N. Main St. [335-5331]

McNair Presbyterian Church- 503 Lewis St. [335-5417]

Grace United Methodist Church- 301 E. Market St. [335-0460]

First Presbyterian Church- 214 N. Hinde St. [335-2067]

Wesley Memorial Church- 312 Rose Ave. [335-5971]

Church of Scientology 750 Dayton Ave. [333-1337]

Traditions

Every small town has its traditions...

"The Scarecrow Festival"

The festival is held the third weekend of September annually. For this weekend in September, each year since 1994, the downtown area has come alive with street vendors, fair food, and a portable amusement company. Families will enjoy the fair-like atmosphere of sounds, lights, and smells, at night, while the large amount of walking attributed to a fair is kept to a minimum. Events for children always take place on the Court House lawn. Special events at past Festivals have included (but are not limited to): Live Music, a Queen's Pageant, Car Shows, "Street Vaulting" (a downtown pole-vaulting competition), a Live Scarecrow Contest, an Auction, and a Parade. When Senior Citizen Day falls during the festival, many events are planned with seniors in mind, which includes bingo, music, food, prizes, cloggers and twirlers.

• 2005 Scarecrow Festival Flyer

The Fayette County Fair

The county fair became an annual event in the year 1879 and is held on the fairgrounds in Washington Court House. The fair takes place at the end of July. Events include a Demolition Derby, Pageant, Senior Citizen Day, Children's Day, Veterans Day, Derby and Harness Racing, Stock Truck Pulls, and plenty of live music, food and other entertainment. Livestock sales are a source of advertisement for local businesses and a source of income for children and young adults who have invested time, effort, and money into their animals. Although not all of these children enter the farming community, Jr. Fair (and within it, 4-H and FFA) is an invaluable educational resource that our society cannot do without. Over 970 4-H members ages five to nineteen years complete project work in over 200 projects from nutrition, sewing, creative arts, photography, computers, rockets, cats, dogs, and leadership projects to livestock, woodworking, and engineering projects. Through these various projects, members learn life skills such as decision making, record keeping, budgeting, communication, and responsibility. Jr. Fair activities for the week include two fashion shows, a talent show, nutrition bowl contest, and cookie baking contests.

July Fireworks

This annual event, recently entitled "Fire in the Sky," is produced, choreographed, and displayed by the Washington Firefighters Association. The show, held around the July 4 holiday, is located at the Fayette County Fairgrounds and was held first in 2000. It has grown in size each year and attracts around 30,000 people from Washington Court House and surrounding areas. The event managers pride themselves in funding the display entirely through donations-- no public funding is used. For information on donation or this year's schedule, contact the Washington Fire Rescue Department at (740) 636-2362.

Landmarks

Washington Court House has places to go, and sights to see... please see this "Travel and Tourism" page for more information and pictures.

File:Court house in snow.jpg

The Washington Court House Court House in wintertime.

Fayette County Court House

The Fayette County Court House is one of Washington's more interesting landmarks. However, the building standing today in downtown WCH is not the first "Court House" to be built in Fayette County.

The original judicial center was a log cabin, and it stood on "Cherry Hill," just outside of old "Yatesville, OH." (Which today is along Route 38, just before you arrive at I-71 if you are travelling west from WCH). This building was not burned down, contrary to popular belief. A local governing body voted to move the court house (the proceedings of the judicial system, not the actual log cabin) into what was then "Washington," very suddenly and in a panic decision. Today, no one knows the reasoning behind this action, but rumor has it that bodies had been found near the old Yatesville site, just before the date of the move. Not much information is known about this second building, in WCH, either, except that it was made of brick. At the time, the community was growing, and the current building was commissioned after the need for a larger facility was demonstrated.

The current location and structure are steeped in history. You can see this for yourself if you attend an available guided tour of the site. Most notable are historic murals by Archibald M. Willard, and seven bullet holes in the Court Street doors, left by the Ohio National Guard's attempt to disperse an angry mob demanding the death of a man. This man was found innocent in court upon charges of killing a local, but the crowd would not have it. The man was hanged from a tree on the court house lawn, and his noose and mask remain on display in the Fayette County Museum.

In the 1990's, renovation took place on today's building, but according to many unnamed individuals in the community, the "Court House of Washington Court House" deserves more care than it has been receiving. The most notable change in the '90's was the replacement of the golden statue atop the spire, "Lady Liberty." Prominently displayed is the motto "Justice to and for each and every."

One story recalls, however, a point in WCH's history where justice was not as valued. At the five-point intersection near the present-day Krogers (the intersection of Routes 41, 22, 62, and 3), there stood a house where a runaway slave had made his home as a free man under the laws of Ohio. This house, formerly situated between Highland Ave. and Leesburg Ave., has since been demolished and replaced with condominiums. As the story goes, a carriage of white men arrived while the family was having tea. They kidnapped the runaway slave father and transported him to the property of his former "owner" in Kentucky. To this day, we do not know of the man's fate, although it is presumed that he was killed. The local government could have acted, but did nothing to stop the extradition from occurring-- to recover their fellow townsman and stifle the grief of his family.

Fayette County Historical Society Museum

The Fayette County Historical Society Museum was built in 1875 by Morris Sharp with the stated purpose of erecting "the Showplace of Washington Court House". This Victorian Italianate home was purchased by The Historical Society in 1958 for $15,000 and opened as a museum in October 1965. The museum proudly displays 14 rooms that contain fine pieces depicting the County's history. A visit to the museum's tower, by way of the spiral stairs, offers a spectacular panorama of the city. The museum is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places under Morris Sharp House at 517 Columbus St.

Interesting quirks

The City of Washington Court House has, as its first and most prominent interesting quirk, its name. Rumors have circulated that the town's name is one of the longest in the United States, was in the Guinness Book of World Records, or other such nonsense. This is not true, but it is interesting. The following points, however, are true, and could be the most valuable source of information about actual life in Washington Court House.

Fast food

Washington Court House has many fast food restaurants: too many to support, it would seem. But they all keep up their business, if this is any indication of average life in W.C.H. Pizza seems to be the most prominent fast(er) food restaurant. Currently the town supports Pizza Hut, Donatos, Domino's, "Center Pizza," Giovanni's, Papa Murphy's "Take and Bake," and "Downtown Pizza," in the location of the former "J's Family Dinning." Downtown Pizza is simply the resurrection of "Pizza N' Motion," a location closed because of health violations.

At one time years ago, (though all the current venues were not open then) the following were included in the eclectic mix: Papa John's, "Farmer's Pizza," Fayette Street Market Pizza, "Pizza 'N Motion," and two locations of Little Caesar's. All these were functioning simultaneously to serve the munching needs of the 13,000 townspeople. As this article is written, another pizza restaurant is attempting to join the ranks: "Pizza Connection," near Long John Silvers and Postnet.

Wal-Mart

Wal Mart's arrival in Washington Court House caused no immediate dissension. However, now, many residents of Fayette County boycott Wal Mart because of its business practices. Because of the lack of entertainment options in Fayette County, many school-age children and young adults consider a trip to the Wal Mart store a social outing, and regularly frequent the store with their friends, without intention of purchasing anything.

The "Upper Room Cafe"

Built as an addition to Grace Community Church in 2003, this cafe/coffee shop serves traditional Starbucks-type fare and more, with a decorative flair seen nowhere else in this small town. It quickly became the primary "hang-out" location for students in middle school and high school, and is frequnted by college students and adults, as well. Eventually, to keep patrons and workers alike sane, certain nights of the week were mandated as nights for certain age groups. For example: Friday night is the only night of the week where Middle School students can visit.

The Municipal Pool

The "City Pool," as it is sometimes called, provides a less-sweltering place to socialize during the summer. If the pool has had a decrease in membership, it might be because construction of pools at private residences has increased. In the 1990's, the pool was purchased by the (then) City of Washington from the Washington Rotary Club. The pool has seen many years: some citizens can even remember its being segregated.

For families without air conditioning or a private pool, a membership is invaluable in the months of July and August. As of November 2006, the coming of the YMCA (reportedly opening in the spring of 2007) has not yet made the landmark of 50 years obsolete. The pool staffs about 40 lifeguards, who work for the City of Washington Court House. Over the summer of 2005, the pool was open from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Saturday, and from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. Swimming lessons are also available (free of charge, for members) on weekday mornings.

The management of the Pool has previously issued statements regarding children at the pool. The management's concern is that parents, while at work, may leave their children at the pool rather than taking them to day-care or an equivalent service. (A summer-long pool membership is sometimes less expensive than fees for a child-care service) Unnamed lifeguards have testified to this problem, but realistically, it cannot be combated.

WCHO

WCHO, found on the radio in Washington C.H. at 105.5 FM, is the only radio station operating within the city limits. Owned and operated by Clear Channel Communications, Inc. The station plays country. WVNU 97.5 serves the city, but operates in nearby Grenfield, Ohio.

WCHO, found on the radio in Washington C.H. at 105.5 FM, is the only radio station operating within the city limits, despite the recent tendency of the younger generations (especially those residing in the city) to grow away from their area's roots in "country" music, which this station plays. The station also airs commentaries on local (high school) sporting events, gives updates on weather, and generally reports on the happenings of the community. School cancellations are received by the public via WCHO, or another outlet, "Channel 3," the public access cable channel. Other stations with clear reception in WCH are WVNU, (see below), 97.1 (an eclectic mix of music), 99.7 (rock), 97.9 (pop), 107.1 (harder rock), and various other stations of country and Christian music. A popular Christian rock station, "Radio U," out of Columbus, OH does not come in clearly in WCH-- rather, its reception dies just outside of the city limits.

WVNU

[5]Another local radio station is WVNU 97.5. WVNU plays oldies rock and roll along with news reports. It is owned and managed by Patrick Hays, with the assistance of his wife. A station personality, Harry "Dig Dawg" Wright, is the host of Sell & Tradio and his show, The Harry Wright show.

The Record Herald

The daily newspaper of Washington Court House is called "The Record Herald," and is owned and operated by Brown Publishing Company.

The Warehouse

The Warehouse, sponsored by Planet Youth Ministries, is a non-profit, faith based youth center located across from the construction site for the new Washington Middle and High schools. Through the use of "music, art, and skateboarding," states the entrance door, the goal of "The Warehouse" is to introduce youth to positive adult role models. The building functions as a venue for bands, both touring and local. Concerts are held on Saturday nights. There is a skateshop located in the building as well as a cafe area, an area for kids to skate, and video games systems that are free to use.

Present Changes and Development

There are many changes occurring in Washington Court House, and this article will track each of them.

• New School Buildings - Discussed above, the new school buildings for Washington may be the most anticipated project in the town. Miami Trace also has a new elementary school under construction.

• Home Depot - A "Home Depot" store is a rather recent large-scale development across the S.R. 35 bypass from Wal-Mart. While the nature of the store encourages (needed) home-improvement in Washington Court House, it also encourages the phenomenon of "Urban Sprawl" with its rezoning of land and further planned expansion south of Washington Court House.

While the town is small, suburban-type areas such as "Quail Run," "Storybrook," and "Trotters Pointe" have been developed and generally praised. The "suburbia" phenomena could continue its reign of popularity in the coming years, thus ending the existence of the quaint farming community Washington Court House once was.

The southern expansion can be documented here, and so far includes:

(1) Dakota's Roadhouse, a steak-house type restaurant which adds a (needed) restaurant with a sit-down atmosphere.

(2) Fayette Banking Center, a bank next to Dakota's, still under construction.