​Pike County was founded in 1815 and named for Zebulon Pike, the explorer and soldier who died during the War of 1812. The county has a total area of 440.28 square miles, and the principal communities include Beaver, Piketon and Waverly, the county seat.
Carved out of Ross, Scioto and Jackson counties, the land where Pike County now rests was first occupied by the "Mound Builders" and the Shawnee Indian tribe. Pike County was also home to Ohio's 12th governor, Robert Lucas, who went on to become the first governor of the Iowa Territory.
The Pike County maintenance facility is located on Wakefield Mound Road, off S.R. 32 and east of the U.S. 23/S.R. 32 interchange at Piketon. The state highway system is comprised of 10 state routes and one federal route; they include S.R. 32, S.R. 41, S.R. 104, S.R. 124, S.R. 220, S.R. 335, S.R. 551, S.R. 552, S.R. 772, S.R. 776 and U.S. 23.