Where Did Wayne County Come From?

Our dear Wayne County was named after General “Mad” Anthony Wayne.  An officer during the Revolutionary War, Wayne is mainly remembered for his service in the 1790s in the Northwest Indian War, which included many actions in Indiana and Ohio.

His reputation, including the addition of “Mad” to his name, came from his boldness on the battlefield.

In Virginia, Wayne led Lafayette’s advance forces at Green Spring, where he led a bayonet charge against the numerically superior British forces after stepping into a trap set by Charles Cornwallis.

Wayne was a popular figure in his time and became a legislator in his home state of Pennsylvania, a U.S. Representative for Georgia, and even had a commemorative stamp bearing his name and likeness.

George Washington pulled Wayne out of civil service and back into military operations during the Northwest Indian War, which led Wayne into this area during his battles.

Though we’d like to think that our county’s name had more to do with Wayne’s love affair with our area during his war time exploits in Indiana and Ohio, one quickly realizes that a great many places, rivers, and bridges are named after him all over the country.

Still, its kind of nice being named after a character like General “Mad” Anthony Wayne.

Trivia:

Actor Marion Robert Morrison was initially given the stage name of Anthony Wayne, after the general, by Raoul Walsh, who directed The Big Trail (1930), but Fox Studios changed it to John Wayne instead. John Wayne was leading man in 142 of his 153 movies, more than any other actor.  (Source:  Wikipedia)