Description: Plat of Ohio's capital city, titled "A plat of the town of Columbus, laid off by order of the Assembly, for the seat of Government of the state of Ohio, 1817." Text at the bottom reads "Returned to the Assembly sitting in Chillicothe in the 12th month A.D. 1812 by Joel Wright Commissioner." This is a photostatic copy of the 1825 map which is a facsimilie of Wright's original 1812 map. This early plat of Columbus shows the Scioto River joined by the "Whetstone Branch," now the Olentangy River. West of the river is Franklinton, and "Prairies containing about 150 acres." Notable locations east of the river include the Public Square (location of the Ohio Statehouse) and the Ohio Penitentiary. The city was first laid out in 1812 and incorporated in 1816. Columbus was not the original capital, but the state legislature chose to move the state government there after its location for a short time at both Chillicothe and Zanesville. Columbus was chosen as the site for the new capital because of its central location within the state and access by way of major transportation routes (primarily rivers) at that time. Prior to the state legislature's decision in 1812, Columbus did not exist. The city was designed from the first as the state's capital, preparing itself for its role in Ohio's political, economic, and social life. In the years between first groundbreaking and the actual movement of the capital in 1816, Columbus grew significantly. The town was surveyed, and various city lots were put up for sale. By 1813, a penitentiary had been built, and by the following year the first church, school, and newspaper had been established. Construction on the statehouse began in 1814 as well. Columbus grew quickly in its first few years, having a population of seven hundred people by 1815. It officially became the county seat in 1824, and by 1834, the population of Columbus was four thousand people, officially elevating it to "city" status. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: MAP_VFM_0109_2
Subjects: Columbus (Ohio)--History--19th century; Ohio Statehouse (Columbus, Ohio); Capitals; Ohio History--Settlement and Early Statehood;
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph showing prisoners in formation at the Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio, ca. 1860. The Ohio Penitentiary opened on Spring Street in 1834, and continued to house prisoners until 1979. The state had built a small prison in Columbus in 1813, but as the state's population grew, the earlier facility was not unable to handle the volume of prisoners sentenced by the courts. The Ohio Penitentiary in the nineteenth century reflected the common belief that prison was more for punishment than for rehabilitation. Conditions within the prison were primitive. Prisoners first slept on straw mattresses, although eventually beds were built. Food was very simple, usually consisting of cornbread, beans, and bacon. Prisoners were required to work in one of the prison industries, which made everything from harnesses and shoes to barrels and brooms. This image comes from a collection assembled in March 1929 by the F. & R. Lazarus Company to mark its 78th anniversary. The photographs and materials assembled in a scrapbook represented the origins and growth of Columbus since 1803. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: P92_B01_F04_58
Subjects: Columbus (Ohio)--History--19th century; Ohio Penitentiary (Columbus, Ohio); Ohio History--State and Local Government--Corrections; Prisoners and prisons;
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: A band marches at an unidentified racetrack in Columbus, Ohio. It is most likely Driving Park Race Track. Located on the city's South Side, Driving Park Race Track was a large horse racing complex that eventually allowed auto races. It operated during 19th and early 20th century. In 1905 it hosted world's first 24-hour car race. The park gave its name to Driving Park -- an urban residential area on the Near East Side of Columbus. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07728
Subjects: Cultural Ohio--Popular Culture; Horse racing; Automobile racing; Columbus (Ohio)--History--19th century; Columbus (Ohio)--History--20th century; Neighborhoods--Ohio--Columbus
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Food on tables in the dining hall of the Ohio State Penitentiary. The Ohio State Penitentiary also known as the Ohio Penitentiary operated from 1834-1984 in downtown Columbus, Ohio. It was known for its poor conditions and at its peak in mid 1950s it housed more than 5000 prisoners. Some of its more famous inmates were General John H. Morgan, who famously escaped the prison during the Civil War, "Bugs" Moran, O. Henry, Chester Himes, and Sam Sheppard, whose story is said to have inspired the movie "The Fugitive." Until 1963 when death penalty was halted in the State of Ohio, it was a site of executions. In 1930 the prison experienced the deadliest prison fire in United States history as it killed 322 inmates and injured 150. For some time after the Ohio Penitentiary closed in 1984, the building was used as a training site by the Ohio National Guard and for Halloween festivities as "The Haunted Prison". It also served as the setting for the 1985 TV movie "Love on the Run.". The building was eventually sold by the state to the city of Columbus in 1995 and demolished in 1998. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07751
Subjects: Ohio History--State and Local Government--Law; Columbus (Ohio)--Buildings, structures, etc.; Columbus (Ohio)--History--19th century; Columbus (Ohio)--History--20th century; Historic buildings--Ohio--Columbus; Historic sites Ohio; Prisons--Ohio; Prisoners; Capital punishment--Ohio--History
Places: Columbus (Ohio)
 

Description: Exterior view of the Ohio State Penitentiary. The Ohio State Penitentiary also known as the Ohio Penitentiary operated from 1834-1984 in downtown Columbus, Ohio. It was known for its poor conditions and at its peak in mid 1950s it housed more than 5000 prisoners. Some of its more famous inmates were General John H. Morgan, who famously escaped the prison during the Civil War, "Bugs" Moran, O. Henry, Chester Himes, and Sam Sheppard, whose story is said to have inspired the movie "The Fugitive." Until 1963 when death penalty was halted in the State of Ohio, it was a site of executions. In 1930 the prison experienced the deadliest prison fire in United States history as it killed 322 inmates and injured 150. For some time after the Ohio Penitentiary closed in 1984, the building was used as a training site by the Ohio National Guard and for Halloween festivities as "The Haunted Prison". It also served as the setting for the 1985 TV movie "Love on the Run.". The building was eventually sold by the state to the city of Columbus in 1995 and demolished in 1998. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07752
Subjects: Ohio History--State and Local Government; Columbus (Ohio)--Buildings, structures, etc.; Columbus (Ohio)--History--19th century; Columbus (Ohio)--History--20th century; Historic buildings--Ohio--Columbus; Historic sites Ohio; Prisons--Ohio; Prisoners; Capital punishment--Ohio--History
Places: Columbus (Ohio)
 

Description: The hospital ward in the Ohio Penitentiary. The Ohio State Penitentiary also known as the Ohio Penitentiary operated from 1834-1984 in downtown Columbus, Ohio. It was known for its poor conditions and at its peak in mid 1950s it housed more than 5000 prisoners. Some of its more famous inmates were General John H. Morgan, who famously escaped the prison during the Civil War, "Bugs" Moran, O. Henry, Chester Himes, and Sam Sheppard, whose story is said to have inspired the movie "The Fugitive." Until 1963 when death penalty was halted in the State of Ohio, it was a site of executions. In 1930 the prison experienced the deadliest prison fire in United States history as it killed 322 inmates and injured 150. For some time after the Ohio Penitentiary closed in 1984, the building was used as a training site by the Ohio National Guard and for Halloween festivities as "The Haunted Prison". It also served as the setting for the 1985 TV movie "Love on the Run.". The building was eventually sold by the state to the city of Columbus in 1995 and demolished in 1998. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07753
Subjects: Ohio History--State and Local Government--Law; Columbus (Ohio)--Buildings, structures, etc.; Columbus (Ohio)--History--19th century; Columbus (Ohio)--History--20th century; Historic buildings--Ohio--Columbus; Historic sites Ohio; Prisons--Ohio; Prisoners; Capital punishment--Ohio--History
Places: Columbus (Ohio)
 

Description: Black-and-white photograph of the City of Columbus Fire Department with crew and horse-drawn equipment, posed in front of the Ohio Statehouse, 1865. Listed by name are the Department Chief, workers at the North, South and Central Engine Houses, and Extra Hosemen. The men listed include: I.H. Marrow (Chief); North: William McGuire (Foreman), Henry S. Layton, Samuel Reed and John Piffer; Central: Mark Newman (Foreman), James F. Fleming, William W. Ferguson and John Roder; South: Thomas Winstanly (Foreman), H. Thomas, Christian Felker and Louis Becker; Extra Hosemen: John Poland and John White. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: OVS_4014
Subjects: Columbus (Ohio)--History--19th century; Fire engines & equipment; Fire fighters; Ohio Statehouse (Columbus, Ohio)--Pictorial works;
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph showing the Ohio Statehouse, at the corner of Broad and High Streets, in 1879. The capitol building was built between 1839 and 1861 in the Greek Revival style, resembling the Parthenon in Greece. One of the best examples of Greek Revival civic architecture in the United States, it is also one of the oldest working statehouses in the nation. It is a masonry building, consisting largely of brick and Columbus limestone quarried from the west banks of the Scioto River. This image comes from a collection assembled in March 1929 by the F. & R. Lazarus Company to mark its 78th anniversary. The photographs and materials assembled in a scrapbook represented the origins and growth of Columbus since 1803. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: P92_B01_F02_25
Subjects: Columbus (Ohio)--History--19th century; Ohio Government; Architecture; Ohio Statehouse (Columbus, Ohio)--Pictorial works
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photographic reproduction of a portrait depicting Rev. James P. Poindexter (1819-1907), an abolitionist, pastor and politician. He moved to Columbus in 1838 with his wife Adelia Atkinson, where he lived until his death in 1907. Poindexter served as pastor of the Second Baptist Church, assisted escaping slaves traveling through Columbus, founded the Colored Soldiers Relief Society during the Civil War, and served in political positions at the state and municipal level. In 1880 he became the first African American elected to the Columbus City Council. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL02703
Subjects: African Americans--Civil rights--Ohio; Multicultural Ohio--Religion in Ohio; Poindexter, James Preston, 1819-1907; Underground Railroad--Ohio; Antislavery movements--Ohio--History--19th century; Columbus (Ohio). City Council; American Baptist Church--Clergy
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Canal plat map showing a section of the route of the Columbus feeder canal and the Ohio and Erie Canal in Columbus, Ohio. Also noted is the Scioto River, the Linton Basin, and properties along the canal route. Property owners listed include Peter Fornof, Henry Obetz, Elizabeth Kramer, Charles Marion, William Wilkinson, Jonathan Linton, Christian Veik, John Baker and more. The map was created under the direction of the members of the Canal Commission of the state of Ohio and approved by the Chief Engineer of the Department of Public Works (variously referred to as the Board of Public Works and the Division of Public Works). The Ohio and Erie Canal was constructed between 1825 and 1832, eventually connecting Cleveland and Lake Erie with Portsmouth and the Ohio River. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: BV4916_002
Subjects: Maps; Ohio and Erie Canal (Ohio); Transportation; Canals -- Ohio; Columbus (Ohio)--History--19th century
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio);
 

Description: Canal plat map showing a section of the route of the Columbus feeder canal and the Ohio and Erie Canal in Columbus, Ohio. Also noted is the Scioto River, the state arsenal and Fish Stone Works, among other properties along the canal route. Property owners listed include William Moneypeny, Samuel Parson, Conrad Born, William B. Hayden, and George Kanmacher. The map was created under the direction of the members of the Canal Commission of the state of Ohio and approved by the Cheif Engineer of the Department of Public Works (variously referred to as the Board of Public Works and the Division of Public Works). The Ohio and Erie Canal was constructed between 1825 and 1832, eventually connecting Cleveland and Lake Erie with Portsmouth and the Ohio River. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: BV4916_001
Subjects: Maps; Ohio and Erie Canal (Ohio); Transportation; Canals -- Ohio; Rivers--Ohio; Columbus (Ohio)--History--19th century
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph of a home along North High Street in Columbus, Ohio, identified as the Harbarger house, located at the intersection of West Como and High. This image was included in a "Memory Book" compiled by Mrs. H. V. Cottrell, historian for the Clinton League (sometimes called the Clinton Welfare League) from 1938-1943. The book shows the development of the Clintonville neighborhood of Columbus and records the history of the League. The Clinton League was a women's group founded in 1912 to promote child welfare and later general welfare in Columbus, but which was based in and primarily focused on the area of Clintonville. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: P285_MB1_016
Subjects: Clintonville (Ohio); Clinton League; Women--Charities; Houses; Columbus (Ohio)--History--19th century;
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)