Maude C. Collins Marker

        On the grounds of the Vinton County Courthouse, next to the Sheriff’s Office, stands the marker for Maude C. Collins, Ohio’s first female Sheriff. Sheriff Maude, as she came to be known, served as jail matron working alongside her husband Sheriff Fletcher Collins. On October 9, 1925, Maude was appointed Sheriff by the Vinton County Commissioners after the death of her husband in the line of duty the previous day. She completed his term before running for Sheriff on the Democratic ticket in 1926. She went on to win both the Democratic primary and the general election, making her the first woman in Ohio to be elected to the office of Sheriff. On October 24, 2000, Maude was officially acknowledged as Ohio’s first female sheriff with her induction into the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame. 

Maude Charles Collins was born in 1893, the daughter of Roland Thomas and Fanny (McCoy) Charles. Her maternal grandfather was Randolph McCoy the patriarch of the McCoy clan made famous by the Hatfield and McCoy Feud. Little is known of Maude’s life before her husband, Fletcher Collins, was elected as Vinton County Sheriff in 1924. During his term, Maude served as the jail’s matron where she cooked, cleaned, and cared for female inmates. On top of her duties in the jail, Maude was also the mother of 5 young children: Arthur, Charles, Frances, Kenneth, and Margie. The children ranged in age from 10 to 2 years old. On October 8, 1925, the young family’s world was shattered when Fletcher was shot and killed in the line of duty. Despite the terrible circumstances, history would be made the following day when the Vinton County Commissioners appointed Maude as Fletcher's replacement to see out the rest of his term, making her the first female sheriff in the state of Ohio.

Sheriff Maude, as she came to be known, then ran for election to the office of sheriff in 1926. Running on the Democratic ticket she defeated her primary opponent 957 to 232, and won the general election 2191 to 1596, the largest margin of any other race on the ballot. Maude was a capable Sheriff and did not hesitate to take on many of the same duties as her deputies. She made headlines in newspapers such as the Columbus Dispatch and The Republican Tribune in 1927 when she, fully armed, became the first woman to ever deliver prisoners to the state penitentiary. Her skills as a detective also earned her national attention when she solved a double murder by determining that the suspect had worn the shoes of someone else that left misleading footprints. She was able to gain a confession from the real killer, a woman by the name of Inez Palmer, gaining her national fame and press.

Following the completion of her term as Sheriff, Maude was elected Vinton County Clerk of Courts in 1928 and again in 1932. After completing her elected service in 1934, she went on to work as matron at the Columbus State School until her retirement. On June 8, 1972, at the age of 78, Maude Collins died at Mount Carmel Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. She is buried alongside her husband back in Vinton County in the Hamden Cemetery.

After leaving office, Sheriff Maude and her pioneering service were largely forgotten outside of Vinton County. After a female elected in 1976 had been recognized as Ohio’s first female sheriff, the Vinton County Historical and Genealogical Society set out to right this inaccuracy and get the legacy of Maude Collins to the wider population. After the efforts of the Vinton County Historical and Genealogical Society, Maude was inducted into the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame on October 24, 2000 and officially recognized as Ohio’s first female sheriff. Since this honor, Sheriff Maude’s story has been told through programs and a play titled “Sheriff Maude: Lawman, Detective, and Mother” presented by the Ohio History Connection. Her work has been featured in the book “Wicked Women of Ohio” by Jane Ann Turzillo and she also served as the inspiration for the fictional character of Lily Ross in the series “The Kinship” by Jess Montgomery. Sheriff Maude’s badge was donated by her granddaughter to the National Law Enforcement Museum in Washington D.C. where it was displayed in the exhibit on women in law enforcement for their opening in 2018.

On July 19, 2019, the Maude C. Collins Ohio Historical Marker was dedicated on the Vinton County Courthouse lawn. The marker was dedicated by the Ohio History Connection's historical marker program, and co-sponsored by the Vinton County historical and Genealogical Society.

4-82 Maude C. Collins - Law Enforcement Pioneer, Remarkable Ohio. Accessed October 4th 2021. https://remarkableohio.org/index.php?/category/1801.

Vinton County Historical & Genealogical Society. Maude C. Collins Law Enforcement Pioneer. 2019.

From staff reports. Historical marker for Ohio's first female sheriff comes to McArthur, The Courier. July 24th 2019. Accessed October 4th 2021. https://www.vintonjacksoncourier.com/news_briefs/historical-marker-for-ohios-first-female-sheriff-comes-to-mcarthur/article_bb53501d-514d-59d5-a387-84a763aea40c.html.

Montgomery, Jess. More about Maude Collins, the Real-Life Inspiration for Lily Ross, Jess Montgomery. April 16th 2020. Accessed October 4th 2021. https://jessmontgomeryauthor.com/books/.

Maude Collins, Ohio’s First Female Sheriff, Vinton County Travel. Accessed October 4th 2021. https://vintoncountytravel.com/history/maude-collins-ohios-first-female-sheriff/.