Crawford County, set apart from Allegheny County in 1800, was named in honor of Colonel William Crawford, who was burned at the stake by the Indians near Upper Sandusky in Wyandot County, Ohio, on June 11, 1782. He was born of Scotch-Irish stock in Berkeley County, Virginia, in 1732.
He served as a surveyor under Washington, who was his lifelong friend, and later became a Captain and a renowned Indian fighter, both in the French and Indian War and in the war against Pontiac. In 1767, Captain Crawford settled in western Pennsylvania, across the Youghiogheny River from Connellsville. Through the Revolution, he was in command of a Virginia regiment.
After the war, he retired to his farm in western Pennsylvania, hoping to spend his remaining days quietly with his family after a quarter-century of frontier hardship and Indian warfare. In May 1782, he reluctantly undertook the leadership of an expedition against the intractable savages in the Muskingum country.
Crawford County prides itself on being not only a great place to visit but also a superior place to live. Far from the bustle of a large city but with all of life's necessities, Crawford County offers a haven for those tired of the "big city rat race."