county seat

the seat of government of a county.

Origin of county seat

An Americanism dating back to 1795–1805

Wrayton was the county-seat, a good-sized town five miles from Mayberry.

Kent Knowles: Quahaug |Joseph C. Lincoln
We found the land where Fairbury is now located was not entered, so we entered it with the intention of making it the county-seat.

Collection of Nebraska Pioneer Reminiscences |Nebraska Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution
It is in the greatest wheat-growing county in Ohio (Stark), but is not the county-seat, which is at Canton.

The Indian in his Wigwam |Henry R. Schoolcraft
A physician from the county-seat village went by, in company with Dr. Dibrell.

The End Of The World |Edward Eggleston

After the organization of the county, the place was voted the county-seat, and a courthouse was built.

Collection of Nebraska Pioneer Reminiscences |Nebraska Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution

county seat

mainly US another term for county town