County seat war facts for kids

A county seat war is an American phenomenon that happened mostly in the Old West as it was being settled. Although, there were similar events elsewhere, such as in southeastern Ohio. As new towns were created and county lines were drawn, there was intense competition for the status and tax benefits received by becoming a county seat. These "wars" often involved nothing more than lining up at the ballot box. However, sometimes people from a particular town would use voter fraud, intimidation or violence.