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Highway Chronicle Chapter II:
Columbus
is Established as New Ohio Capital
Chillicothe
and Zanesville served as the provisional capitals of Ohio until February 14,
1812 when the state legislature chose native forest on the high bank of the Scioto River, across from the settlement of Franklinton, to become
the new capital. Architect Joel Wright and Franklin County Surveyor Joseph Vance
were assigned the task of surveying and laying out a new town that reflected the
popular urban designs of Colonial America.
The
principle thoroughfares were set to cross each other at right angles with High Street, the major north-south route,
bearing 12 degrees west of north, and Broad
Street, the major east-west route, 12 degrees north of east. The
exact reason for the city’s positioning remains unknown, but one theory
suggests that the city is skewed 12 degrees to line up with the streets
of Franklinton. Another consideration is the fact that at the time the
difference between True North and Magnetic North was 12 degrees. A plat of the
town not corrected for the difference would, in fact, skew 12 degrees west of
north (shown here).
The
other original north-south roads, from west to east, were West Street, Water
Street, Third Street, Fourth Street, Seventh Street, and Meadow Lane. East-West
Roads, north to south, included Last Street, North Street, Spring Street, Long
Street, Gay Street, State Street, Town Street, Rich Street, Friend Street, South
Street, and Public Lane.
The
widest of these boulevards, surpassing the typical road width of 82.5 feet, were Broad Street (120 feet) and High Street (100
feet) that were envisioned as major arteries for travel and commerce leading to
Capital Square (shown here) .
In
1816, Ohio government established permanent residence in its newly formed
crossroads home.
Next
Chapter: National
Road is First Cross-Country Route
Highway
Chronicle Index
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