Early Columbus plat map   Save
Ohio History Connection Archives/Library
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)