A Brief History of Columbus, Ohio
Franklin County Ohio, Genealogy and History

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Lunatic Asylum

Submitted by Ruth Ficarra
Email: [email protected]
Date: February 10, 2000

A Brief History of Columbus...
Taken from Columbus City Directory 1852
Part IV

The Post Office was established in 1812. Matthew Matthews was the First Post-Master, appointed in the fall of 1813; Joel Buttles, second Post-Master, appointed in the spring of 1814; Bela Latham, third Post-Master appointed in 1829;; John G. Miller, fourth , appointed in 1841; Jacob Medary, Fifth, appointed in 1844; Samuel Medary sixth, appointed in 1847; A.F. Perry, seventh, appointed in 1849..........

In 1838 it became a distributting Post-Office, and now affords employ for 12 or 15 hands.........

The first attempt to carry a mail otherwise than horseback was by Philip Zinn., about 1816 once a week, between Chillicothe and Columbus, which in a short time was increased to twice a week. About a year later 1819 Mr. Zinn extended his contract to carry the mail in coaches to Delaware. In 1820-21 an attempt was made to carry the mail in stages from Zanesville by Newark and Granville to Columbus by Mr. Harrington, but proven unprofitable, and the coach was run very irregularly. In 1822 Wm. Neil & Co. took a mail contract between Columbus and Chillicothe to be carried three times a week. Mr. Neil & Co. , about the same time obtained a contract to cary the mail s in coaches from Zanesville to Columbus-the line of coaches was soon after extended to Springfield, Dayton, and Cincinnati. Mr Neil has since been extensively engaged in mail contracts in the west.......

In 1814 the first Market House was built by contributions of citizens in the vicinity of the location. It was 50 feet in length, situated in the middle of High Street. immediately south of Rich Street. About the year 1817, a new Marlet House was erected by contract with the Council by John Shields It was a framed two story building about 50 feet in length on brick pillars. The under story was used for the Market Place in town. The Frame building on the pillars which belonged to Mr. Shields, contained four large rooms and three small rooms and were rented for various purposes. Mr. Shields thus furnishing a market house or the privilege of having rooms over it.One of the rooms was used for a printing office. One by Mr. Shields for some tme for preaching in, the others for school rooms, exhibitions, &c. The building at length sold to John Young, who appropiated the rooms to general amusement. in 1829 or 30 the Council bought Youngs interest and the building was removed., and the one just vacated as a market house ( June 1850) was erected by Elijah Ellis, pursuant to contract with trhe Council. In 1849-50 by an ordinance of the City Council a new market house was erected on 4th Street extendind from Town to Rich Streets about 428 feet long and 30 feet wide with eaves projecting on each side 10 feet making the whole width 50 feet. The building is made of brick built in the most durable manner . The central part for 252 feet is two stories high, furnishing a Chamber for Council on the south end and City Hall, on the east side are rooms for the Mayor and City Clerks Office.-on the west side a guard room and two rooms for disorderly people. The number of stalls on the inside is 64. A brick pavement 10 feet wide extends on each side of the building, and at convinient distances are broad entrances to the interior.......

The first bridge over the Scioto River was erected by Lucas Sullivant, of Franklinton, about the year 1818 under a charter from the Legislature-crossing the River at the west end of Broad Street on the road to Franklinton. In 1833 -4 the bridge having fell down , Sullivant's right under the charter was purchased of Joseph Sullivant for $10,000- The citizens of the city and the western part of the county paying $8,000 raised by subscription and the county (through the Commissioners ) $2000. The present bridge was then erected by the superintendant of the National Road, which is one of the best bridges in the West........In 1819-20 The U.S. Court House was erectedon the public square, north of the Public Offices, the state appropriating a small amount of uncurrant funds on the Miami Exporting Company, But the greatest portion of the cost being raised by subscription from the citizens of Columbus. On the completion of the building the U.S. Courts were removed from Chillicothr to Columbus. Harvey D. Evans was then the clerk and Dr.john hamm of Zanesville was , Marshal.......

In 1824 the county seat was removed from Franklinton to Columbus, and the County Courts were held in the United States Court House intil 1840.........

The court then (1840 was composed of Gustavus swan, President, and Edward Livingston, Samuel G. Flanigan, and Aurora Buttles , Assiates; A.I. McDowell, clerk and Robert Brotherton, Sheriff...........

In 1830 G. Swan was succeeded by Frederick Grimke, and in 1834 Grimke was succeeded by Joseph R. Swan; Swan by J.L.Bates( Elected by popular vote , under the new Constitution).........

in 1840 the Commom Pleas Court and Supreme Courts commenced holding their sessions in the New Court House. This is a fine building, the cost of which ppars to have been about $41,000 dollars, exclusive of the ground. The Two lots that the Building stands on, having been bought by contributions of the citizens of the south end of the town were donated to the county. The County Commissioners afterward purchased the third lot so as to have the whole block.........

The first newspaper printed in Columbus, was "the Western Intelligencer and The Columbus Gazette", removed from Worthington, and published by P.H. Olmstead and Joel Buttles, as early as 1814 or 15, and it has continued ever since under different proprietors and modifications of title,-and is now printed by Scott and Bascom, with the name of "Ohio State Journal"........

The second newspaper ,"The Ohio Moniter" was commenced by David Smith and Ezra Griswold, in 1816. Smith soon purchased the interest of Griswold and continued to publish the paper until 1836, when he sold out to Jacob Medary, and the Monitor was discontinued or merged into the Hemisphere...........

The "Western Statesman" was commenced in 1825 by Zachariah Mills and Martin Lewis. In 1826 it was passed to the hands of Lewis and Glover, afterwards to Freedom Sever and Elijah Glover. In the spring of 1836 they sold out and it merged in the Journal's office.........

In 1829, the Ohio State Bulletin was commenced by John A. Bryan and John A. Lazell; at the end of one year , Bryan sold out his interest to Lazell, though he(Bryan ) continued to edit it under the title of Columbus Sentinel", and it was subsequently sold by Lazell and passed over to George Keating and John H. Wood and in 1835 was transferred to Scott and Wright who merged it in the" Ohio State Journal "..............

about the year 1832 the publication of the "Western Hemisphere was commenced by Gilbert and Melcher; afterward s, Melchers interest passed to Russel C. Bryan; and subsequent to that , Gilbert and Bryan sold out to Medary and Mannypenny; it then passed to Sacket Reynolds for a while and then back to Medary's when S. Medary was first elected State Printer and the title was changed to the "Ohio Statesman."............

Various other newspapers and periodicals were commenced and published in Columbus for a short time.........

For the first few years, the town improved rapidly. Emigrants flowed in apparently from all quarters, and the improvements and general business of the place kept pace with the increase of population. Columbus , However was a rough spot in the woods off from any public road of consequence. The east and the west travel passed through Zanesville, Lancaster, and Chillicothe and the mails came in crooslines on horseback.....

John Kerr acted as the general agent of the proprientors for the first, second and third years, from 1812 to 1814 or 15, and was then succeeded by Henry Brown, who continued their agent until the close of their business in the spring of 1817. The usual way of making sales was to receive a third, fourth, or fifth of the purchase money in hand and take notes on the balance, giving the proprietors bond to make a good deal when the payments should be completed; and it frequently happened that after one, or perhaps two payments and a small improvement had been made, the whole would fall back into the hands of the proprientors . The lots for sale all being in the hands of the proprientors or those who had bought at high prices from them, and their giving time on the payments kept up the prices, from two hundred dollars to five hundred dollars on any part of the town plat, and the prices did not fall much below that until after the year 1820 when owing to the failure of two proprientors9 McLaughlin and Johnson) as with numerous other individuals who had possessed themselves of lots, there was such a immense number of lots offered for sale by the Marshal and Sheriff, and so little money to buy with, that after being appraised , and offered, and re-appraised , again and again, finally had to sell; and lots which for years before been held at two and three hundred dollars were struck off at from twenty to thirty dollars, and sometimes lower; even down to seven and eight dollars for a lot on the extremities of the plat . The out-lots on the eastern border of the town plat,which had been mortaged by McLaughlin, one of the proprientors, to the U.S. Bank were for some time offered by a Agent of the Bank at $10.00 per acre, but could find no purchaser even at that price. In the north-east ern part of the town , real estate depreciated rather lower then the any other part of town. A David Jones, a common laborer , living in that part of the city, purchased several lots with cabins on , at tax sales and otherwise for mere trifle- the cabins he rentedout to the poorest class of tenents, got his money if he could, if not in old furniture or old clothes, and with the avails, extended his purchase of lots. For some years Mr. Jones became a conspicuous man in his part of the city-which being referred to was called Jonesburg, and Mr. Jones "King David". On prosperity being restored to the city, Mr Jones sold his lots and land, adjoining town, realized a fortune of some $25,000 or $30,000.........

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