Timeline of Columbus, Ohio
City history timeline
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Columbus, Ohio, United States.
18th century
- 1797: Lucas Sullivant founds Franklinton, Central Ohio's first permanent white settlement and the oldest Columbus neighborhood.[1]
19th century
- 1803
- Ohio becomes the first state formed from the Northwest Territory.[1]
- Franklin County is formed from Ross County.[1]
- 1805: Postal service is established in Franklinton, and the settlement acquires its first preacher.[1]
- 1806: The first schoolhouse is built, a 16-foot-square log building.[1]
- 1811: The first church is constructed, by the present-day Old Franklinton Cemetery.[1]
- 1812
- Columbus is founded.[2]
- Population: 300.[2]
- Foundations for High Street laid out.
- 1813: Columbus's first post office is established.[1]
- 1814
- William Ludlow is named "director of the town of Columbus" to supervise its construction.[1]
- The first market house, later known as Central Market, is constructed.[1]
- The first newspaper is established, The Western Intelligencer, after it moves from Worthington.[1]
- 1816
- Columbus becomes the capitol of Ohio and the legislature meets in Columbus's first statehouse.[1]
- The Village of Columbus is organized, with Jarvis W. Pike elected as the first mayor.[2][1]
- 1817
- James Monroe visits Columbus, the first U.S. President to do so.[1]
- The Ohio State Library is headquartered in Columbus.[3]
- 1824: The seat of Franklin County moves from Franklinton to Columbus.[1]
- 1826: The first public schools are opened in Columbus and Franklinton.[1]
- 1831: Columbus is connected to the Ohio and Erie Canal through the Columbus Feeder Canal.[2][1][4]
- 1832: The Ohio School for the Deaf is established.
- 1833
- National Road in operation.[2]
- A cholera epidemic kills 100 residents and causes 1,000 to move away.[1]
- 1834
- Columbus chartered as a city, population: 3,500.[1]
- John Brooks becomes mayor.[1]
- Ohio Penitentiary begins operating.[2]
- 1837: Ohio State School for the Blind established.[2]
- 1840: Population: 6,048.[5]
- 1845: Columbus Public Schools established.
- 1849
- State Convention of the Colored Citizen held in city.[6]
- Green Lawn Cemetery established.
- 1850
- The Columbus and Xenia Railroad begins operating,[2] and the first passenger train arrives in the city.[1]
- Development of Franklin Park began.[4]
- Population: 17,882.[5]
- 1851
- Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad begins operating.
- Union Station operates from 1851 to 1977.
- 1853
- Saint Patrick Church founded.
- Columbus Athenaeum founded.[3]
- 1857: The Ohio Statehouse opens to the public and begins use.
- 1861
- Ohio Statehouse fully completed.[2][4]
- Camp Chase is established (1861).[1]
- 1862: Fort Hayes is established.
- 1865: Abraham Lincoln's funeral procession stops in Columbus.[1]
- 1868
- St. Mary's of the Springs school opens.[2]
- Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Indianapolis Railway in operation.
- 1870
- Columbus annexes 4,052 acres (1,640 ha), including Franklinton.[1]
- The Ohio State University is founded, as the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College.
- Columbus Circulating Library organized.[3]
- 1871
- The Daily Dispatch newspaper begins publication.[7]
- Public water system first set-up.[1]
- Population: 32,000.[1]
- 1872: Public Library & Reading Room established at Columbus City Hall.[3][8]
- 1873: The Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College opens.[2]
- 1874: The Ohio State Fair is permanently established in Columbus, after being held in cities throughout the state each year.[1]
- 1875: Union Station rebuilt.
- 1878
- St. Joseph Cathedral building completed.
- Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts and Ohio State University Marching Band established.
- 1879: Columbus Art School and Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery[2] established.
- 1880: Population: 51,647.[5]
- 1887: Franklin County Courthouse built.[2]
- 1890: Population: 88,150.[4]
- 1894: "Ugly law" approved.[9]
- 1895: Franklin Park Conservatory opens.
- 1898: First Neighborhood Guild organized.[10]
- 1899
- Columbus Citizen newspaper begins publication.[7]
- Masonic Temple built.
- Hocking Valley Railway operates from 1899 to 1930.[4]
- 1900
20th century
- 1903: Columbus, Delaware and Marion Railway operated 1903 to 1933.
- 1904: Governor's Mansion and Franklin County Memorial Hall[2] built.
- 1905: Indianola Park (amusement park) in business.
- 1906: Columbus Public Library building constructed.[2]
- 1910
- Streetcar strike.[2]
- Population: 181,511.[4]
- 1912: Woman Suffrage parade takes place.
- 1913: The Great Flood of 1913[2]
- 1914: The Columbus City Charter is adopted.
- 1917: Women are granted the right to vote in municipal elections.[1]
- 1919: The Spring Street YMCA opens.[11]
- 1920
- Planning begins for buildings in the Columbus Civic Center.[1]
- Population: 237,031.[5]
- 1922: Ohio State University's Ohio Stadium built.[2]
- 1924: Central High School is completed, the first building completed in the new Columbus Civic Center.[1]
- 1927: The American Insurance Union Citadel is completed, becoming the fifth-tallest building in the world at the time.
- 1928
- Columbus City Hall is completed, replacing the Old City Hall destroyed by fire in 1921.[1]
- Ohio Theatre opens.
- 1929
- The present-day John Glenn Columbus International Airport is established.[1]
- Battelle Memorial Institute founded.
- 1933: Ohio State Office Building constructed.[2]
- 1934: U.S. Post Office and Courthouse built.[2]
- 1936: White Castle restaurant chain headquartered in city.
- 1937: Spanish–American War Memorial dedicated.
- 1940: Population: 306,087.[5]
- 1947: National Auto Theatre (drive-in cinema) in business.[12]
- 1952: Ohio State University's Mershon Center for International Security Studies established.
- 1954: Black Baptist Pastors' Conference organized (approximate date).[13]
- 1954-1958: Columbus annexes numerous parcels, growing from 40 sq mi (100 km2) to 84.9 sq mi (220 km2).[1]
- 1955
- Franklin Heights High School founded.
- Columbus begins planning its interstate highways along with state and federal agencies.[1]
- Sister city relationship established with Genoa, Italy.[14]
- 1959: The Columbus Citizen-Journal newspaper in publication.
- 1960: Population: 471,316.[5]
- 1964
- Northland Mall in business.
- Bank One Tower built.
- 1969: First Wendy's founded by Dave Thomas.
- 1970
- Columbus Free Press begins publication.
- Columbus surpasses Cincinnati in population.
- 1974: Rhodes State Office Tower built.
- 1975: Columbus Monthly magazine begins publication.
- 1976
- Fort Hayes Metropolitan Education Center established.
- Union Station demolished.
- 1977
- QUBE television begins broadcasting.
- One Nationwide Plaza built.
- Clippers begin playing in Columbus.
- 1978: Community Development Task Force formed.[15]
- 1980: Sister city relationship established with Tainan City, Taiwan.[14]
- 1982: Columbus surpasses Cleveland to become the largest city by population in Ohio.
- 1984
- Huntington Center built.
- Ohio Penitentiary closes.
- 1985: Contemporary American Theatre Company founded.
- 1987
- King Arts Complex active.
- Union Station mural painted.
- 1988
- Vern Riffe State Office Tower and Three Nationwide Plaza built.
- Sister city relationships established with Hefei, China; Odense, Denmark; and Seville, Spain.[14]
- 1989: Columbus City Center (shopping mall) in business.
- 1990
- The Other Paper begins publication.
- William Green Building constructed.
- Population: 632,910.[5]
- 1991
- City government computer network begins operating.[16]
- Carriage Place Movies 12 (cinema) in business.[12]
- 1992: Sister city relationship established with Dresden, Germany.[14]
- 1996
- Columbus Crew begins play with the newly established Major League Soccer.
- Sister city relationship established with Herzliya, Israel.[14]
- Chamber of Commerce city portal online.[17][18]
- 1998: City government website online (approximate date).[19][chronology citation needed]
- 1999
- The Columbus Crew moves to newly-built Columbus Crew Stadium.
- Easton Town Center opens.
- Columbus Ohio Temple built.
- 2000
- Michael B. Coleman begins his first term as mayor of Columbus.
- Nationwide Arena opens, hosting the newly founded Columbus Blue Jackets.
- Population: 711,470.[20]
21st century
- 2001
- Columbus Underground begins publication.[21]
- Miranova Condominiums built.
- Arena Grand cinema[12] and Polaris Fashion Place (shopping mall) in business.
- 2004: The Northland Mall on Morse Road, which closed in 2002, is demolished to make way for a new commercial development,[22] ultimately to be called Northland Village.
- 2008: Sister city relationship established with Ahmedabad, India.[14]
- 2009: Huntington Park opens in the Arena District, replacing Cooper Stadium as the home of Columbus Clippers baseball.
- 2010
- Population: 787,033.[23]
- Columbus City Center demolished.
- 2011
- Columbus Commons opens.
- Steve Stivers becomes U.S. representative for Ohio's 15th congressional district.[24]
- 2013
- Population: 822,553.[25]
- Joyce Beatty becomes U.S. representative for Ohio's 3rd congressional district.
- 2014: Sister city relationship established with Curitiba, Brazil.[14]
- 2016
- Columbus surpasses Indianapolis to become the second largest city in the Midwest.
- Andrew Ginther begins his first term as mayor.
- 2018: Columbus surpasses San Francisco to become the 14th-largest city in America.
- 2020
- The COVID-19 pandemic is introduced to Columbus.
- George Floyd protests take place in Columbus and most major U.S. cities.
- Population 905,748.
- 2021: Lower.com Field, the new Columbus Crew stadium, opens.
- 2023:Columbus Crew wins its third MLS Cup, its second in four years.
