Living in the County Archive: William C. Schenck
2022 marks the 220 th anniversary of the City of Newark. Newark is probably best known for the Earthworks and the ancient Moundbuilders, or the architecture of the Courthouse and Historic Jail, but for those who live and are from Newark the town means so much more. For the month of May, Living in the County Archive is a photocopy of a painted portrait of the man associated with establishing the City, William C. Schenck. While Samuel Parr and Samuel Elliot are believed to be the first settlers in Newark, it was William Cortenus Schenck who helped establish the city in 1802. Named after his hometown of Newark, New Jersey, Schenck came to the area as a surveyor. He helped to lay the land of the town, and it was Schenck who placed the first courthouse. The original courthouse was a log structure that doubled as Newark’s first church. The location of the original square and courthouse was situated in the same spot it is today.