Joel Wright compass   Save
Ohio History Connection Museum
Description: This Vernier surveyor's compass which measures 14" by 7" (36 by 18 cm) was used by Joel Wright to plat the city of Columbus prior to its founding in 1812. The typical 19th-century brass and wooden compass was made in Winchester, Virginia. Joel Wright (1750-1829) was a Quaker born in Menallen, Pennsylvania, who first came to Ohio in 1788 as part of a team to survey the Northwest Territory. He surveyed the Muskingum, Scioto, and Great Miami valleys, and eventually settled in Ohio in 1806 in an area near present-day Waynesville. While a resident of Ohio, Wright platted the towns of Columbus, Dayton, and Springboro, Ohio, and Louisville, Kentucky. He was also the first surveyor of Warren County. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om1487_1535360_001
Subjects: Land settlement--Ohio; Geography and Natural Resources; Surveying; Surveying equipment
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)