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Ohio County
Highland County, Ohio
Hillsboro's Women's Crusade and Ohio's temperance movement birthplace - from Hillsboro's 1873-74 Women's Crusade (the spontaneous prayer vigil movement that began in Hillsboro when women knelt in prayer outside saloons, refusing to leave until liquor sales stopped - directly inspiring the founding of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union and setting the stage for Prohibition) to Rocky Fork State Park's clear reservoir and Paint Creek State Park's recreation, and a south-central Ohio hill county where the temperance movement's birthplace and exceptional outdoor recreation define an underappreciated community.
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Office: Highland County Emergency Management Agency (EMA)/Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) – 1487 North High Street, Suite 600, Hillsboro, OH 45133 | (937) 393-5880 | Fax: (937) 393-2655; operates under ORC 5502; EMA Board meets 7 PM the third Tuesday of odd months (Jan, Mar, May, Jul, Sep, Nov); residents can sign up for Hyper-Reach emergency alerts.
Sheriff: Highland County Sheriff’s Office – 130 Homestead Dr #1, Hillsboro, OH 45133; Administration Mon-Fri 8 AM-4 PM, Dispatch 24/7.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-50 and SR-73/138 serve Hillsboro, the county seat, in south-central Ohio
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Highland County spans roughly 553 square miles.
Notes: Hillsboro is genuinely, nationally significant as the birthplace of the American temperance movement that led directly to Prohibition. On December 23, 1873, following a lecture by Dr. Diocletian Lewis, roughly 70 of Hillsboro’s most prominent women – led by “Mother” Eliza Jane Trimble Thompson, daughter of an Ohio governor – marched on the town’s saloons and drugstores, kneeling in prayer and singing hymns to demand an end to alcohol sales. This event, known as the Hillsboro Women’s Temperance Crusade, made national news and inspired similar protests across 31 of the then-37 states within weeks, closing thousands of saloons. The movement directly led to the formation of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) – organized in Hillsboro itself on December 23, 1873, officially founded at a Cleveland convention in November 1874 – which became the largest women’s organization in the world by 1890 and was instrumental in both Prohibition (18th Amendment) and the women’s suffrage movement. The 150th anniversary of the crusade was marked in Hillsboro in December 2023. Few liquor establishments still operate within Hillsboro’s city limits today as a legacy of the movement.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Highland County Veterans Services – confirm current address/phone via co.highland.oh.us.
State: Ohio Department of Veterans Services – dvs.ohio.gov
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Highland County District Library – Main branch, 10 Willettsville Pike, Hillsboro, OH 45133 | (937) 393-3114; Rocky Fork Branch, 11125 North Shore Drive, Hillsboro, OH 45133 | (937) 661-6866 | Fax: (937) 519-1180 | Hours: Mon/Tue/Thu 10 AM-6 PM, Wed closed, Fri 10 AM-5 PM, Sat 10 AM-1 PM.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Highland County Historical Society’s Highland House Museum (Temperance Crusade history), Fort Hill Earthworks and Nature Preserve, Highlands Nature Sanctuary, and Rocky Fork Lake are the county’s signature attractions.
Notes: The genuine Women’s Temperance Crusade/WCTU origin story is one of the most historically significant facts covered anywhere in this project, directly connected to both Prohibition and the women’s suffrage movement.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Highland County Auditor – confirm current phone via co.highland.oh.us.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Highland County Dog & Kennel (Dog Warden) – 9480 North Shore Drive, Hillsboro, OH 45133 | (937) 393-8191 | [email protected] | Hours: Mon-Fri 7:30 AM-4 PM, Sat 8 AM-12 PM, closed Sunday; Chief Dog Warden Taylor Brown.
Nonprofit: Highland Humane Society – 9331 State Route 124, Hillsboro, OH 45133 (2.5 miles east of Hillsboro); founded 1969, private 501(c)(3), no government funding; rescued 311 dogs and 334 cats in 2024; spay/neuter reimbursement $100 dogs/$60 cats if not already fixed at adoption.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Highland County Recycling & Litter Prevention – confirm current contact via co.highland.oh.us.
NOTES: Highland County is the first county in this batch (Highland, Hocking, Holmes, Huron, Jackson, Jefferson, Knox) of the Ohio v2 redo. The genuine Women’s Temperance Crusade/WCTU founding story is one of the most historically significant facts covered anywhere in this project, directly tied to both national Prohibition and the women’s suffrage movement. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Highland County
Highland County holds a pivotal place in American reform history – the Women’s Crusade that began here in December 1873 directly inspired the formation of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union and set the political groundwork for Prohibition.
Hillsboro (the county seat, population ~6,600) was where Dr. Diocletian Lewis delivered a temperance lecture in December 1873 that inspired local women to march to saloons, kneel in prayer, and sing hymns until proprietors agreed to stop selling alcohol. The movement spread spontaneously to hundreds of towns across Ohio and beyond, and the WCTU – founded in 1874 – grew into the largest women’s organization in American history at the time.
Rocky Fork State Park – with a clear reservoir and sandstone gorge – provides fishing, boating, and hiking in a pleasant south-central Ohio setting.
Paint Creek State Park south of Hillsboro offers additional water recreation on Paint Creek Lake.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Highland County Auditor at 114 Governor Foraker Place, Hillsboro, OH 45133, phone 937-393-1910. Appeal to County Board of Revision by April 1.
Courts & Legal
Highland County Probate Court at 105 N. High Street, Hillsboro, OH 45133, phone 937-393-9957, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
PROBATE COURT
119 Governor Foraker Pl, Hillsboro, OH 45133
(937) 393-9915
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Highland County Probate Court, Hillsboro (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Highland County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Highland County Probate Court 105 North High Street, Hillsboro, OH 45133 (937) 393-9981 Highland County is in south-central Ohio, seated in Hillsboro.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Ohio has not adopted the Uniform Probate Code, but has incorporated some streamlined concepts into its own system under Title 21 of the Ohio Revised Code (ORC Chapters 2101-2131).
Summary Release from Administration (ORC § 2113.03) – available for very small estates valued at $5,000 or less. Lets the court release assets quickly, often to cover funeral expenses and support the surviving family, without a fiduciary being appointed.
Release from Administration (ORC § 2113.03) – Ohio’s broader small-estate shortcut. Available when the gross probate estate is $35,000 or less, OR up to $100,000 if the entire estate passes to a surviving spouse (by will or by Ohio’s intestacy law). No executor/administrator is appointed; the court releases the estate directly to the person(s) entitled to it.
Full Estate Administration – required when the estate exceeds these thresholds or the situation is otherwise contested or complex. The court appoints a fiduciary (Ohio’s term for executor/administrator), issues a Certificate of Appointment once any will is admitted, and the fiduciary inventories assets, publishes notice to creditors, pays debts, and distributes what remains under ongoing court supervision.
Step 2: filing for administration
File the will (if any) and an application with the Probate Court in the county where the decedent resided.
If pursuing Release from Administration or Summary Release, complete the applicable court forms (Form 5.0 for standard Release, Form 5.10 for Summary Release) along with a complete asset inventory and supporting documents.
For full administration, the court issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration to the appointed fiduciary.
The fiduciary publishes notice to creditors; claims generally must be presented within 6 months of the date of death.
The fiduciary inventories and manages estate assets, pays valid debts and expenses, and distributes what remains according to the will or Ohio’s intestacy law, reporting to the court along the way.
The estate is closed once a final account is filed and approved by the court.
What it costs
Filing fees vary by county – check with Highland County directly for current fees.
No state estate tax, no state inheritance tax (repealed effective January 1, 2013). Only the federal estate tax could apply, and only to very large estates ($15,000,000 per individual as of 2026).
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
PROBATE COURT
119 Governor Foraker Pl, Hillsboro, OH 45133
(937) 393-9915
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
119 Governor Foraker Pl, Hillsboro, OH 45133
(937) 393-1421
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
BOARD OF ELECTIONS
119 Governor Foraker Pl, Hillsboro, OH 45133
(937) 393-9954
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health District
1487 North High St, Hillsboro, OH 45133
(937) 393-1941
Job and Family Services
1575 North High St, Hillsboro, OH 45133
(937) 393-1904
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Highland County Health Department – confirm current contact via co.highland.oh.us.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Hillsboro
Population: 43,000
Established: 1805
Tier: 3
Public Records
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