Did you love our article featuring the oldest photos taken in Columbus? If so, you absolutely must see these excellent historic shots! This time, we're focusing on Columbus's street views from long, long ago. The city has changed dramatically since the horse-drawn carriage and street car days, so let's take a look back at how our old school street views.
1. A view of High Street, looking south from State Street, snapped between 1900 and 1915.
How old is Columbus, Ohio? Columbus was officially established as a city on February 14, 1812, and these historic photos of Columbus, Ohio, illustrate a good deal of its fascinating history. The city's location was chosen strategically so that the capital would be central and on major transportation routes - the Olentangy and Scioto rivers. The city had a rough start, but a population boom took place after the National Road reached Columbus in 1831. This was followed by a wave of European immigrants from Germany and Ireland. Columbus was a major part of the Underground Railroad and a major base for the Union Army during the Civil War. In the early 20th century, Columbus received its nickname "The Arch City" because of the wooden arches that were built over High Street to provide street lights. The Arches were torn down, but have since been reconstructed as the famous metal arches located in the Short North today.
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There is a lot of interesting history in Columbus. Here are some of the oldest photos ever taken in the city.
The Columbus Union Station served railroad passengers from 1850 to 1977. The first station had three tracks dedicated to passenger trains. It connected to the Central Ohio Railroad as well as the Steubenville and Indiana Railroad.
2. The Second Union Station, taken between 1875 and 1890
The second station replaced the first in 1875; it operated 42 daily passenger trains. Unlike the wood barn structure of the first station, this one was constructed with brick. It had a large waiting room, ticket offices, and seven track entrances.
With thirteen tracks crossing High Street, the combination of train and road traffic created too much congestion. The third and last station was built to solve this issue by creating a road viaduct over the tracks. By the end of the century, the station was handling more than 100 passenger trains per day. The number of daily passenger trains fell to 42 by 1956, and to 10 by 1970. The station's Beaux-Arts Classicism styled arcade was added to the National Register of Historic Places. However, in 1976 the arcade was demolished to make room for new construction before preservationists had a chance to act. One arch remains on display today by Nationwide Arena.
In this photo, you can see the then empty banks of the Scioto River with factories in the background. In the late 19th century, wealthy residents started building homes on the river banks north of the city in order to escape the pollution of the factories.
In 1810 the Ohio Legislature appointed five commissioners to find a centralized location for the state's capital. They chose the settle the east bank of the Scioto River. At that time much of this land was occupied by the Delaware Indians. This is a photo of one of the oldest houses in Columbus, Ohio.
This mill stood by the Olentangy River just north of the where the Dodridge Street bridge is today. The original dam was constructed by David Beers in 1810. The building burned down on June 13, 1902.
10. Confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers, taken around 1918
The two rivers meet just north of where downtown Columbus is situated today. Factories can be seen on the far bank, while the other side of the river remains undeveloped.
Allen Granberry Thurman, 1813-1895, was a Democratic Representative, Ohio Supreme Court justice, and Senator from Ohio. His home, built in 1885, was located at 517 E. Rich Street.
12. First Tennis Handicap Tournament, taken in 1918
This photo was taken during the first tennis handicap tournament in Miller Park in Upper Arlington. The Upper Arlington Tennis Clubs had just been established at Miller Park.
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What are your favorite historical facts about Columbus? Let us know in the comments below. These historic photos of Columbus, Ohio, certainly give us a sense of how deep our Ohio roots run. If you're hungry for more local history, check out these incredible old photos taken in Ohio.
Knowing all the hottest spots and coolest restaurant in town is fantastic, but nothing makes you feel quite as in touch with a city as being able to tell neat stories about its past. Lucky for us, Columbus has a few quirky tales that are sure to keep your listeners engaged. Check them out!
In 1926, Rosalind Morrison was elected by the student body as the Ohio State University's homecoming queen. However, there was a problem... Morrison received 12,000 votes, but only 10,000 people were allowed to vote. Morrison was not given the title due to suspicion of voter fraud. Instead, the crown went to her runner up: Maudine Ormsby, a holstein cow nominated by the College of Agriculture. Rosalind Morrison had a sense of humor about the whole ordeal, later joking that her epitaph should read, "But for Maudine, here lies the Queen."
The National Hockey League awarded a franchise to Columbus on June 25, 1997. Shortly after, a city-wide contest was held to select a name for the new team. There were over 14,000 entries submitted! The name "Blue Jackets" refers to the fact that Columbus produced thousands of blue uniforms for the Union troops during the Civil War, and also provided more Union soldiers than any other state.
Long's Bookstore on campus has been closed for a while and it was recently demolished; however, Long’s had one more surprise for us before it faded into memory. During excavation of the site, a century-old arched doorway leading to a space beneath High Street was discovered. While the former owner doubts the door led to anything more than a basement storage room, others have more exciting speculations. The long time legend of a tunnel leading from Long’s to a speakeasy across the street at Sullivan Hall finally seems to have gained some evidence!
Ohio was awarded statehood in 1803, at a time when Columbus did not yet exist. The capital at the time was Chillicothe, then briefly Zanesville. It was decided that the new capital must lie within 40 miles of the state's geographical center and Franklinton already existed on the west bank of the Scioto River. In 1812, four businessmen from Franklinton decided to offer 20 free acres of land on the east side of the Scioto River as land for the new capital, and thus Columbus was born. The city was incorporated in 1816 and Franklinton became part of Columbus in 1870.
In 1941 a two-headed calf was born in Brookville, OH. Though the calf only lived a short life due to the genetic deformity, it was taxidermied and mounted for display at the Ohio Historical Center.
In 1994, artist Michael Cochran created the "Field or Corn" or, as it is unofficially called, Cornhenge. There are 109 statues of ears of corn, each 6-foot, 3-inches tall, standing in diagonal lines in a field off the highway. The installation honors Ohio's agricultural past, especially Sam Frantz, who was an inventor of hybrid corns.
You can visit the Field of Corn at 4995 Rings Rd., Dublin, OH 43017.
Do you know any other weird stories about Columbus and it's history? We'd love to hear them!
