Worthington is a city in
Franklin CountyFranklin County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of 2000, the population was 1,068,978. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2007 Population Estimates, the population had grown to 1,118,107, which makes it the second largest county in Ohio and the 34th largest county in...
,
OhioOhio is a Midwestern state of the United States. The thirty-fourth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the seventh-most populous with nearly 11.5 million residents...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 14,125 at the 2000 census. The city was founded in 1803 by the Scioto Company led by
James KilbourneJames Kilbourne was an American surveyor and politician from Ohio.Kilbourne was born in New Britain, Connecticut, and moved his family to Ohio in 1803, when he founded the city of Worthington, Ohio. In 1805 he was appointed United States surveyor of public lands...
, who was later elected to the
United States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives, commonly referred to as the "House," is the lower house of the bicameral United States Congress, the upper house being the United States Senate. The composition and powers of the House and the Senate are established in Article One of the Constitution...
. The city was named in honor of Thomas Worthington, future governor of Ohio. Worthington is a northern suburb of
Columbus, OhioColumbus is the capital and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is the county seat of Franklin County, although parts of the city also extend into Delaware and Fairfield counties...
.
First settlement
On May 5, 1802 a group of prospective settlers founded the Scioto Company at the home of Rev. Eber B. Clark in
Granby, ConnecticutGranby is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 10,347 at the 2000 census. The town center was defined as a census-designated place known as Salmon Brook in the 2000 census.-History:...
for the purpose of forming a settlement between the
Muskingum RiverThe Muskingum River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 111 miles long, in southeastern Ohio in the United States. An important commercial route in the 19th century, it flows generally southward through the eastern hill country of Ohio...
and
Great Miami RiverThe Great Miami River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long, in southwestern Ohio in the United States.The Great Miami flows through Dayton, Piqua, Troy, and Sidney....
in the
Ohio CountryThe Ohio Country was the name used in the 18th century for the regions of North America west of the Appalachian Mountains and in the region of the upper Ohio River south of Lake Erie...
.
James KilbourneJames Kilbourne was an American surveyor and politician from Ohio.Kilbourne was born in New Britain, Connecticut, and moved his family to Ohio in 1803, when he founded the city of Worthington, Ohio. In 1805 he was appointed United States surveyor of public lands...
was elected president and Josiah Topping secretary (McCormick 1998:7). On August 30, 1802
James KilbourneJames Kilbourne was an American surveyor and politician from Ohio.Kilbourne was born in New Britain, Connecticut, and moved his family to Ohio in 1803, when he founded the city of Worthington, Ohio. In 1805 he was appointed United States surveyor of public lands...
and Nathaniel Little arrived at Colonel Thomas Worthington’s home in
Chillicothe, OhioChillicothe is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Ross County. The municipality is located in southern Ohio along the Scioto River...
. They tentatively reserved land along the
Scioto RiverThe Scioto River is a river in central and southern Ohio more than 231 miles in length . It rises in Auglaize County in west central Ohio, flows through Columbus, where it collects its largest tributary, the Olentangy River, and meets the Ohio River at Portsmouth...
on the
Pickaway PlainsPickaway Plains is a wide area of rolling hills beginning about 3 miles south of Circleville, Ohio, and extending several miles to the north and south. This geological area was formed sand and gravel deposited by melting water from the last glacier to retreat from the region during the Ice Age...
for their new settlement (McCormick 1998:17).
On October 5, 1802, the Scioto Company met in
Granby, ConnecticutGranby is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 10,347 at the 2000 census. The town center was defined as a census-designated place known as Salmon Brook in the 2000 census.-History:...
and decided not to purchase the lands along the
Scioto RiverThe Scioto River is a river in central and southern Ohio more than 231 miles in length . It rises in Auglaize County in west central Ohio, flows through Columbus, where it collects its largest tributary, the Olentangy River, and meets the Ohio River at Portsmouth...
on the
Pickaway PlainsPickaway Plains is a wide area of rolling hills beginning about 3 miles south of Circleville, Ohio, and extending several miles to the north and south. This geological area was formed sand and gravel deposited by melting water from the last glacier to retreat from the region during the Ice Age...
, but rather to buy land farther north from Dr. John Stanbery and his partner, an
American Revolutionary WarThe American Revolutionary War , also sometimes known as the American War of Independence, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen united former British colonies in North America, and concluded in a global war between several European great powers...
general,
Jonathan DaytonJonathan Dayton was an American politician from the U.S. state of New Jersey. He was the youngest person to sign the United States Constitution and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, serving as the fourth Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and later the U.S. Senate...
. Sixteen thousand acres (65 km²) were purchased along the Whetstone River (now known as the
Olentangy RiverThe Olentangy River is a tributary of the Scioto River in Ohio.It was originally called keenhongsheconsepung, a Delaware word literally translated as "stone for your knife stream" based on the shale found along its shores...
) at $1.50 per acre (McCormick 1998:19-27). This land was part of the
United States Military LandsThe United States Military Lands were land grants given to Continental Army servicemen by the United States Congress for service in the American Revolutionary War, in lieu of giving them pay or pensions. Beginning in 1796, Congress provided 2.6 million acres of land to Army soldiers and officers,...
surveyed by Israel Ludlow in 1797 and divided into townships square (McCormick 1998:29-30).
Organization
On May 7, 1803
James KilbourneJames Kilbourne was an American surveyor and politician from Ohio.Kilbourne was born in New Britain, Connecticut, and moved his family to Ohio in 1803, when he founded the city of Worthington, Ohio. In 1805 he was appointed United States surveyor of public lands...
arrived at what is now Worthington to inspect the Scioto Company’s purchase. A work party of seven hired laborers, paid $12 per month each, soon began work clearing the forest (McCormick 1998:29).
On August 10, 1803 the Scioto Company voted to name the village for Thomas Worthington, one of Ohio's first two senators, and for each member to contribute $2 (about four days wages) to support a library.
In September 1803 the first settlers departed Connecticut by horse. Ezra Griswold was the lone settler who traveled by oxcart. With this he is officially the first settler of Worthington, beating his fellow Company men to the site. By December 1803, Worthington was divided into 160, three quarter acre city lots with a public green in the center of the village. Thirty seven persons bid between $53 and $0.25 to select a lot. Those who bid nothing were given a choice of the remaining lots. Farm lots, ranging from 20 to and averaging , were sold off in the same way. Both the Episcopal Church and Worthington Academy were given an farm lot and wood lot to provide financial support.
Dissolution of the Company
By August 11, 1804 the plat maps were completed, payments or notes promising payments collected and deeds prepared for all sixteen thousand acres (65 km²) of the Scioto Company’s purchase (McCormick 1998:71). On January 28, 1805, having completed its work of apportioning land and establishing the church, school and library, the Scioto Company was dissolved (McCormick 1998:76).
Incorporation
On February 20, 1808 the Worthington Academy was incorporated by the Ohio legislature and a brick building was constructed facing the northeast quadrant of the public square. Its bell now adorns Kilbourne middle school. That same year
James KilbourneJames Kilbourne was an American surveyor and politician from Ohio.Kilbourne was born in New Britain, Connecticut, and moved his family to Ohio in 1803, when he founded the city of Worthington, Ohio. In 1805 he was appointed United States surveyor of public lands...
erected a commercial building for a newspaper. This building still stands at 679-681 High Street as the oldest commercial building in continuous use in the state.
In 1811, Ezra Griswold built a large south-facing brick tavern on the lot north of the northeast quadrant of the public square. That same year, the Orange Johnson house was constructed north of the Village Green.
War of 1812
During the
War of 1812The War of 1812, between the United States of America and the British Empire , lasted from 1812 to 1815. It was fought chiefly on the Atlantic Ocean and on the land, coasts and waterways of North America.There were several immediate stated causes for the U.S...
, several Worthington militia marched north with General
William HullWilliam Hull was an American soldier and politician. He fought in the American Revolution, was Governor of Michigan Territory, and was a general in the War of 1812, for which he is best remembered for surrendering Fort Detroit to the British.- Early life and Revolutionary War :He was born in...
's army and were surrendered at Detroit on August 12, 1812. Orders issued by General
William Henry HarrisonWilliam Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States, an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office...
from "Northwest Army Headquarters, Worthington, Ohio" on October 28, 1812 indicate the commander, like his supply wagons, was using the road north from the capital. On September 7, 1814, Zophar Topping died while serving with Indian scouts. He was Worthington's only casualty during the war.
Growth
On May 24, 1813 James Kilbourne took a seat in the
United States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives, commonly referred to as the "House," is the lower house of the bicameral United States Congress, the upper house being the United States Senate. The composition and powers of the House and the Senate are established in Article One of the Constitution...
.
On August 25, 1817 President
James MonroeJames Monroe was the fifth President of the United States . His administration was marked by the acquisition of Florida ; the Missouri Compromise , in which Missouri was declared a slave state; the admission of Maine in 1820 as a free state; and the profession of the Monroe Doctrine , declaring U.S...
visited Worthington. Also in 1817,
Philander ChasePhilander Chase was an Episcopal Church bishop, educator, and pioneer of the United States western frontier in Ohio and Illinois.-Life:...
moved to Worthington to become the first rector of St. John's Episcopal Church. He concurrently served as rector of Episcopal churches in Columbus and Delaware and as principle of the Worthington Academy. In June 1818, Rev. Chase was elected Bishop of the newly organized Episcopal Diocese of Ohio.
The period from the 1820s to the Civil War was a time of slow growth for the sleepy village. In 1820 Aurora Buttles erected a Masonic hall. In 1826 the Columbus and Sandusky Turnpike was incorporated (now
U.S. Route 23U.S. Route 23 is a long north-south U.S. highway between Jacksonville, Florida, and Mackinaw City, Michigan. It is an original 1926 route which originally reached only as far south as Portsmouth, Ohio, and has since been extended.-Route description:|-|FL...
) to connect the center of the state to Lake Erie, further cementing the importance of High Street.
Civil War
In September, 1861 Captain William Piney and 14 members of the "Olentangy Reserves" muster into Company E of Thomas Worthington Jr.'s 46th Ohio Volunteer Infantry regiment, which trains at Camp Lyon on the old Worthington Manufacturing Co. site southwest of the village. This unit suffered forty percent casualties at the battle of Shiloh in April, 1862.
Post-war growth
In 1866 the Bishop House was converted to the Union Hotel (Worthington Inn) by the Lewis family. In 1873 the Worthington School located at Evening Street and State Route 161 was completed. The first Worthington High School class graduated in 1880 (including 2 girls).
In 1931, the only Roman Catholic pontifical college outside of Italy, the
Pontifical College JosephinumThe Pontifical College Josephinum is a four-year liberal arts college and graduate school of theology founded by Monsignor Joseph Jessing in 1888 and located in Columbus, Ohio, USA. It is a seminary that prepares students to become priests in the Roman Catholic Church. The institution trains...
relocated just north of Worthington where it exists today.
Geography
Worthington is located at (40.091513, -83.020905).
According to the
United States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
, the city has a total area of 5.7 square miles (14.7 km²), all of it land.
The cities of Worthington and
RiverleaRiverlea is a village in Franklin County, Ohio, United States, surrounded by Worthington on its north, south, and east sides, and bordered on the west by the Olentangy River, across which is Columbus. Riverlea was incorporated in 1939, a small community that formed on former farmland...
form an
enclaveIn political geography, an enclave is a territory whose geographical boundaries lie entirely within the boundaries of another territory.An exclave, on the other hand, is a territory legally attached to another territory with which it is not physically contiguous.These are two distinct concepts,...
of
ColumbusColumbus is the capital and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is the county seat of Franklin County, although parts of the city also extend into Delaware and Fairfield counties...
.
Highways that pass through or adjacent to Worthington include
Interstate 270Interstate 270 is the designation for several Interstate Highways in the United States, all of which are related to Interstate 70:*Interstate 270 , a connection in Denver*Interstate 270 , a partial beltway around St. Louis...
, United States Route 23, Ohio State Route 161, and Ohio State Route 315.
Interstate 71Interstate 71 is an Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes/Midwestern and Southeastern region of the United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 64 and Interstate 65 in Louisville, Kentucky. Its northern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 90 in Cleveland,...
and
Ohio State Route 710Ohio State Route 710 ' is an east-west state route in central Ohio that exists entirely within the northern portion of the city of Columbus. The western terminus of OH 710 is at OH 161 in Columbus, less than west of the OH 161 interchange off of I-71...
pass just to the east of the city.
Except for a small border with Perry Township (Brookside Estates) on the west, Worthington is completely surrounded by Columbus.
Demographics
As of the
censusA "census" is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
of 2000, there were 14,125 people, 5,692 households, and 4,052 families residing in the city. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
was 2,494.6 people per square mile (963.5/km²). There were 5,845 housing units at an average density of 1,032.3/sq mi (398.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.97% White, 1.71% African American, 0.12% Native American, 2.77% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.98% of the population.
There were 5,692 households out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.0% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.8% were non-families. 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 29.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 88.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $68,568, and the median income for a family was $83,074. Males had a median income of $59,258 versus $39,424 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone. Per capita income is usually reported in units of currency per year...
for the city was $34,495. About 1.4% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.4% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.
Library
The Worthington Public Library serves the community with three branches. In 2005, the library loaned more than 1.9 million items to its 61,000 cardholders, making it the 16th busiest library in
OhioOhio is a Midwestern state of the United States. The thirty-fourth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the seventh-most populous with nearly 11.5 million residents...
. Total holding are over 436,000 volumes with nearly 500 periodical subscriptions.
Notable persons from Worthington
- Dr. John Wesley Hoyt
Dr. John Wesley Hoyt was an American politician and educator.Born in Worthington, Ohio, in 1831, he graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University and attained a medical degree from Eclectic Medical Institute in Ohio. He moved to Wisconsin in 1857 and became active in politics...
(1831-1912), 3rd Governor of WyomingWyoming is a state in the Western United States. The majority of the state is dominated by the mountain ranges and rangelands of the Rocky Mountain West, while the easternmost section of the state includes part of a high elevation prairie region known as the High Plains. While the tenth largest...
Territory.
- J.R. Niklos, NFL Fullback 2002-2008
- Gary Berry, Green Bay Packer defensive back 2004-2005.
- Susan Diol
Susan Vanita Diol is an American television actress who has played supporting roles in over forty series, including Star Trek: The Next Generation, NCIS and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Her characters rarely appear in more than one episode.-Biography:Diol was born in Marquette, Michigan, of...
, actress who graduated from Worthington High School.
- Maggie Grace
Margaret Grace Denig , known professionally as Maggie Grace, is an American actress. Originally from Worthington, Ohio, she dropped out of high school to move to Los Angeles, California with her mother after her parents' divorce...
, actress.
- Rachael Harris
Rachael Elaine Harris is an American actress and comedienne.-Early life and career:Rachael Harris was born in Worthington, Ohio...
, actress and comedian.
- Shawn Klomparens, novelist.
- Betty Montgomery
Betty Montgomery is an American politician from the state of Ohio. A Republican, she formerly served as Ohio State Auditor. Montgomery was one of three Republican candidates seeking the party's 2006 nomination for Governor before dropping out of the race in order to run for her former position of...
, Former Ohio Attorney General and Auditor, grew up in Worthington.
- Bart Overly, architect.
- Troy Perkins
Troy Perkins is an American soccer player who currently plays goalkeeper for Vålerenga in the Norwegian Premier League.-College:...
, DC United goalkeeper and 2006 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year.
- Jack Plotnick
Jack Plotnick is an American film and television actor.Born in Worthington, Ohio, Plotnick is based in Hollywood. Plotnick is an openly gay actor, best known for performances on Ellen, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as the voice of Xandir on Drawn Together, and his drag persona, "Evie Harris" in Girls...
, actor.
- Claire Shipman
Claire Shipman is an American television journalist, currently the Senior National Correspondent for the ABC program, Good Morning America. She also blogs at the website She is married to Jay Carney, communications director to Vice President Joe Biden, causing many to charge a conflict of...
, ABC news correspondent.
- Colby Kingsbury, Notable Philanthropist and immigration attorney
- Dana Tyler
Dana Tyler is a senior news anchor and reporter at WCBS-TV in New York City. She currently anchors the 6 p.m. newscasts with Don Dahler, and also hosts Eye on New York, a half-hour weekly community affairs program for WCBS, as well as annual local specials CBS 2 at Tony's, CBS 2 at the Met and...
, New York City's CBS news anchor.
- Ingo Partecke German author, spent one year living in Worthington
- Renee Meehan Noted Diabetes expert.
- Watershed (Columbus Ohio band)
Watershed is an American rock band based in Columbus, Ohio, consisting of Colin Gawel , Joe Oestreich , Mark "Poochie" Borror , Dave Masica . Watershed was once hailed as "Rock & Roll's Last Hope."...
: musicians Colin Gawel, Joe Oestreich, and Herb Schupp are all from Worthington.
- Ohio State basketball coach Eldon Miller
Eldon Miller is a former college men's basketball coach. The Gnadenhutten, Ohio native has led four different programs in 36 years of coaching: Wittenberg University , Western Michigan University , Ohio State University and the University of Northern Iowa...
and Ohio State football coach Earle BruceEarle Bruce is a former college football and arena football coach from Cumberland, Maryland. Bruce was the successor to legendary Ohio State head coach Woody Hayes. In 2002, Earle Bruce was inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame....
both resided in Worthington during their respective tenures as coaches.
- James Meaney, author
- Jasmine Moore, winner of season 4 of the CW show "Beauty and the Geek"
- Melyssa Nocar, actress
- James Karrer, Symphonic musician
See also
- Colonial Hills (Subdivision of Worthington, Ohio)
- Harding Hospital
- The history of railroads in Worthington
- Ohio Railway Museum
- Pontifical College Josephinum
The Pontifical College Josephinum is a four-year liberal arts college and graduate school of theology founded by Monsignor Joseph Jessing in 1888 and located in Columbus, Ohio, USA. It is a seminary that prepares students to become priests in the Roman Catholic Church. The institution trains...
- Worthington Christian High School
Worthington Christian High School is an American private secondary school in Worthington, Franklin County, Ohio. The school was founded in 1973, and teaches grades nine through twelve....
- Thomas Worthington High School
Thomas Worthington High School is located in Worthington, Ohio, TWHS has historically been among the top performing high schools in Ohio in terms of academics. The school was formerly named Worthington High School until the 1991 opening of Worthington Kilbourne High SchoolThomas Worthington is the...
- Worthington Kilbourne High School
Worthington Kilbourne High School is located in Columbus, Ohio and is part of the Worthington City School District. The school had an enrollment of approximately 1,521 students in the 2007-2008 school year. Kilbourne was named after James Kilbourne, the founder of the city of Worthington. The...
- Worthington Estates
Worthingon Estates is a neighborhood in Worthington, Ohio, built mostly in the mid to late 1960s. It is located north of the subdivision Worthingway, south of Olentangy Hills, and generally west of High Street however, a small portion of the community is located to the east, adjacent to the...
- Worthington Foods
- Worthington Industries
Worthington Industries, Inc. is a metal processing company with annual sales of approximately $3 billion based in Columbus, Ohio. It produces metal framing, pressure cylinders, automotive past model service stampings, metal ceiling grid systems, steel pallets and laser welded blanks...
External links