Worthington, Ohio
Encyclopedia
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
James 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 1812War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, several Worthington militia marched north with General William Hull
William Hull
William 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 Harrison
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States , an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office. He was 68 years, 23 days old when elected, the oldest president elected until Ronald Reagan in 1980, and last President to be born before the...
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 RepresentativesUnited States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
.
On August 25, 1817 President James Monroe
James Monroe
James Monroe was the fifth President of the United States . Monroe was the last president who was a Founding Father of the United States, and the last president from the Virginia dynasty and the Republican Generation...
visited Worthington. Also in 1817, Philander Chase
Philander Chase
Philander 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 principal of the Worthington Academy. In June 1818, Rev. Chase was elected Bishop of the newly organized Episcopal Diocese of Ohio. Chase initially founded Kenyon College
Kenyon College
Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio, founded in 1824 by Bishop Philander Chase of The Episcopal Church, in parallel with the Bexley Hall seminary. It is the oldest private college in Ohio...
in Worthington.
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 23) 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" mustered into Company E of Thomas Worthington Jr.'s 46th Ohio Volunteer Infantry46th Ohio Infantry
The 46th Ohio Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 46th Ohio Infantry was organized in Worthington, Ohio October 16, 1861 through January 28, 1862 and mustered in for three years service under the command of Colonel Thomas...
, which trained 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
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought April 6–7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee. A Union army under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had moved via the Tennessee River deep into Tennessee and...
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 Josephinum
Pontifical College Josephinum
The Pontifical College Josephinum is a four-year, Roman Catholic liberal arts college and graduate school of theology founded by Monsignor Joseph Jessing in 1888 and located in Columbus, Ohio, USA. The seminary prepares its students to become priests in the Roman Catholic Church. Students come...
relocated just north of Worthington where it exists today.
Geography
Worthington is located at 40°5′29"N 83°1′15"W (40.091513, -83.020905).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The 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...
, the city has a total area of 5.7 square miles (14.8 km²), all of it land.
The cities of Worthington and Riverlea
Riverlea, Ohio
Riverlea 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 enclave
Enclave and exclave
In 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 or politically attached to another territory with which it is not physically contiguous.These are two...
of Columbus
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
.
Highways that pass through or adjacent to Worthington include Interstate 270
Interstate 270
Interstate 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 71
Interstate 71
Interstate 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 710
Ohio State Route 710
State Route 710 is a long state highway in the central portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. Existing entirely within the northern portion of the city of Columbus, SR 710 has its western terminus at a signalized intersection with SR 161, less than west of Exit 117 off of...
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.
Western Worthington now includes part of what used to be Linworth, and is home to the Linworth Alternative Program school
Linworth Alternative Program (Worthington, Ohio)
Linworth Alternative Program is located in Worthington, Ohio in the Linworth area and is part of the Worthington City School District.-History:...
.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A 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. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 14,125 people, 5,692 households, and 4,052 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
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 per square mile (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 races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, 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 couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
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 income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
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
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. Total holding are over 436,000 volumes with nearly 500 periodical subscriptions.
Notable persons from Worthington
- Dr. John Wesley HoytJohn Wesley HoytDr. 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), third Governor of WyomingWyomingWyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
Territory. - J. R. NiklosJ. R. NiklosJohn Russell Niklos II is an American football fullback who has also played Corner, Safety, Linebacker, Tight End, Fullback, H-Back, and Tailback in his collegiate and professional career. J.R. played High School football and track for Thomas Worthington High School where he was an All American...
, NFL Fullback 2002-2008 - Gary BerryGary Berry-Career:Berry was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fourth round of the 2000 NFL Draft and played that season with the team. He played at the collegiate level at the Ohio State University.-References:...
, Green Bay Packer defensive back 2004-2005. - Susan DiolSusan DiolSusan 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 GraceMaggie GraceMargaret Grace Denig , best known as Maggie Grace, is an American actress. Originally from Worthington, Ohio, she dropped out of high school to move to Los Angeles with her mother after her parents' divorce. While struggling financially, she landed her first role as the title character in the...
, actress. - Nick SwisherNick SwisherNicholas Thompson "Nick" Swisher is an outfielder for the New York Yankees. Swisher is a switch hitter who throws left-handed....
, baseball player. - Rachael HarrisRachael HarrisRachael Elaine Harris is an American actress and comedian.-Early life:Harris was born in Worthington, Ohio. She graduated from Worthington High School...
, actress and comedian. - Pat McCrory, longest serving Mayor of Charlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
from 1995-2009. - Betty MontgomeryBetty MontgomeryBetty Montgomery is an American politician from the state of Ohio. A Republican, she formerly served as Ohio State Auditor.-Prosecutor:...
, Former Ohio Attorney GeneralAttorney GeneralIn most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
and Auditor, grew up in Worthington. - Troy PerkinsTroy PerkinsTroy Perkins is an American soccer player who currently plays for Portland Timbers in Major League Soccer.-College and amateur:...
, DC United goalkeeper and 2006 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year. - Jack PlotnickJack PlotnickJack Stuart Plotnick is an American film and television actor.Born in Worthington, Ohio, Plotnick is based in Hollywood...
, actor. - Claire ShipmanClaire ShipmanClaire Shipman is an American television journalist, currently the senior national correspondent for the ABC program, Good Morning America. She also blogs at the website True/Slant. She is married to Jay Carney, President Barack Obama's White House Press Secretary.- Career :Shipman's broadcast...
, ABC news correspondent. - Dana TylerDana TylerDana Tyler is a senior news anchor and reporter at WCBS-TV in New York City. She currently anchors the 6 pm newscasts with Chris Wragge, 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. - WatershedWatershed (Columbus Ohio band)Watershed is an American rock band based in Columbus, Ohio, consisting of Colin Gawel , Joe Oestreich , Joe Peppercorn , Dave Masica...
: musicians Colin Gawel, Joe Oestreich, and Herb Schupp are all from Worthington. - Ohio State basketball coach Eldon MillerEldon MillerEldon 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 BruceEarle Bruce is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Tampa , Iowa State University , Ohio State University , the University of Northern Iowa , and Colorado State University , compiling a career college football record of 154–90–2...
both resided in Worthington during their respective tenures as coaches.
See also
- Colonial Hills (Subdivision of Worthington, Ohio)
- Harding Hospital
- Ohio Railway MuseumOhio Railway MuseumThe Ohio Railway Museum is a railway museum located in Worthington, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus.-History:Established in 1945 and incorporated August 22, 1950, it is the fourth oldest organization involved with the preservation of railroad equipment and railroad history in North America that...
- Pontifical College JosephinumPontifical College JosephinumThe Pontifical College Josephinum is a four-year, Roman Catholic liberal arts college and graduate school of theology founded by Monsignor Joseph Jessing in 1888 and located in Columbus, Ohio, USA. The seminary prepares its students to become priests in the Roman Catholic Church. Students come...
- Worthington Christian High School
- Thomas Worthington High SchoolThomas Worthington High SchoolThomas 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 SchoolWorthington Kilbourne High SchoolWorthington Kilbourne High School is located in Columbus, Ohio and is part of the Worthington City School District. The school had an enrollment of approximately 1,357 students in the 2009-2010 school year. Kilbourne was named after James Kilbourne, the founder of the city of Worthington. The...
- Worthington EstatesWorthington EstatesWorthingon 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 IndustriesWorthington IndustriesWorthington Industries, Inc. is a diversified metal manufacturing company with annual sales of approximately $2.6 billion. The Columbus, Ohio based company is a steel processor and a manufacturer of metal products such as light gauge steel framing for commercial and residential construction;...