Worthington is a city in

Franklin County, Ohio Franklin County is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,323,807, making it the most populous county in Ohio. Most of its land area is taken up by its county seat, Columbus, the state capital and most ...

, United States, and is a northern suburb of Columbus. The population in the 2020 Census was 14,786. The city was founded in 1803 by the Scioto Company led by

James Kilbourne James Kilbourne (October 19, 1770April 9, 1850) was an American surveyor, politician from Ohio, and Episcopalian clergyman. He served two terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1813 to 1817. Early life and career Kilbourne was ...

, who was later elected to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, and named in honor of

Thomas Worthington Thomas or Tom Worthington may refer to: *Thomas Worthington (Douai) (1549–1627), English Catholic priest and third President of Douai College * Thomas Worthington (Dominican) (1671–1754), English Dominican friar and writer * Thomas Worthington ...

, who later became governor of Ohio.

History

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, Connecticut for the purpose of forming a settlement between the

Muskingum River The Muskingum River (Shawnee: ') is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 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 o ...

and

Great Miami River The Great Miami River (also called the Miami River) (Shawnee: ''Msimiyamithiipi'') is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accesse ...

in the Ohio Country.

was elected president and Josiah Topping secretary (McCormick 1998:7). On August 30, 1802,

and Nathaniel Little arrived at Colonel

's home in Chillicothe, Ohio. They tentatively reserved land along the

Scioto River The Scioto River ( ) is a river in central and southern Ohio more than in length. It rises in Hardin County just north of Roundhead, Ohio, flows through Columbus, Ohio, where it collects its largest tributary, the Olentangy River, and meets t ...

on the

Pickaway Plains Pickaway 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 by sand and gravel deposited by melting water from the last glac ...

for their new settlement (McCormick 1998:17). On October 5, 1802, the Scioto Company met in Granby, Connecticut and decided not to purchase the lands along the

on the

, but rather to buy land farther north from Dr. Jonas Stanbery and his partner, an

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

general,

Jonathan Dayton Jonathan Dayton (October 16, 1760October 9, 1824) was an American Founding Father and politician from the U.S. state of New Jersey. He was the youngest person to sign the Constitution of the United States and a member of the United States Hou ...

. Sixteen thousand acres (65 km) were purchased along the Whetstone River (now known as the Olentangy River) at $1.50 per acre (McCormick 1998:19-27). This land was part of the

United States Military District The United States Military District was a land tract in central Ohio that was established by the Congress to compensate veterans of the American Revolutionary War for their service. The tract contains in Noble, Guernsey, Tuscarawas, Muskingum ...

surveyed by Israel Ludlow in 1797 and divided into townships square. On April 29, 1865, at Appx 6:50 AM, President Abraham Lincoln's funeral train passed thru Worthington en route to the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus.

Organization

On May 7, 1803,

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

, 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 ox-cart. 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 km) 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

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 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

, several Worthington militia marched north with General

William Hull William Hull (June 24, 1753 – November 29, 1825) was an American soldier and politician. He fought in the American Revolutionary War and was appointed as Governor of Michigan Territory (1805–13), gaining large land cessions from several Am ...

's army and were surrendered at Detroit on August 12, 1812. Orders issued by General

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...

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 one of two Worthington casualties during the war along with Luther Palmer. Aurora Buttles House aka Sidney Brown House

Aurora Buttles House aka Sidney Brown House

Growth

On May 24, 1813, James Kilbourne took a seat in the

. On August 25, 1817, President

James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American statesman, lawyer, diplomat, and Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Monroe was ...

visited Worthington. Also in 1817, Philander Chase 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 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. Lewis Noble House aka Hubert E

Civil War

In September, 1861 Captain William Pinney and 14 members of the "Olentangy Reserves" mustered into Company E of Thomas Worthington Jr.'s 46th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, 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 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 Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

pontifical college outside of Italy, the Pontifical College Josephinum relocated just north of Worthington where it exists today. High Street, Worthington, Ohio, 1948

Geography

Worthington is located at (40.091513, -83.020905). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The cities of Worthington and Riverlea form an enclave of Columbus. Highways that pass through or adjacent to Worthington include Interstate 270, United States Route 23,

Ohio State Route 161 State Route 161 (SR 161) is an east–west state highway in central Ohio. Its western terminus is in Mutual at State Route 29 and its eastern terminus is near Alexandria at State Route 37. It is long. State Route 161 passes through Columbus, ...

, and

Ohio State Route 315 State Route 315, known locally as the Olentangy Freeway, running almost parallel to Olentangy River Road for most of its length, is a north–south highway in central Ohio, in the Columbus metropolitan area. It may be seen abbreviated as SR 315, ...

Interstate 71 Interstate 71 (I-71) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes/Midwestern and Southeastern region of the United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 64 in Kentucky, I-64 and ...

and Ohio State Route 710 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.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2010, there were 13,575 people, 5,691 households, and 3,874 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was . There were 5,940 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 2.2%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 2.3% Asian, 0.5% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 2.0% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

or Latino of any race were 1.7% of the population. There were 5,691 households, of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.9% were non-families. 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age in the city was 44.9 years. 23.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.6% were from 25 to 44; 30.7% were from 45 to 64; and 19.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.2% male and 52.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 14,125 people, 5,692 households, and 4,052 families living in the city. The

was 2,494.6 people per square mile (963.5/km). There were 5,845 housing units at an average density of 1,032.3 per square mile (398.7/km). The racial makeup of the city was 93.97%

, 1.71%

, 0.12% Native American, 2.77% Asian, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.22% from

, and 1.21% from two or more races.

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 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 (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $34,495. About 1.4% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, 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 2015, the library loaned more than 3.2 million items to its 79,500 cardholders, making it one of the busiest libraries in

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. Total printed materials held are over 473,000 volumes with 20,000 print subscriptions.

Transportation

Worthington's downtown centers around the intersection of

and U.S. Route 23. In addition, the 315 expressway and

flank Worthington's west and east ends respectively, and Worthington is accessible by Interstate 270, a ring road surrounding Columbus which itself cuts through the northern end of Worthington. Public transport is minimal in Worthington, though the

Central Ohio Transit Authority The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA ) is a public transit agency serving the Columbus metropolitan area, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. It operates fixed-route buses, bus rapid transit, microtransit, and paratransit services. COTA's hea ...

operates bus line 102 along High Street. The only rail transport near Worthington is a Norfolk Southern Railway line parallel to I-71. The Ohio State University Airport is the nearest

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

airport to the city, and passengers are served by Columbus's two airports:

John Glenn Columbus International Airport John Glenn Columbus International Airport is an international airport located east of downtown Columbus, Ohio. Formerly known as Port Columbus International Airport, it is managed by the Columbus Regional Airport Authority, which also ove ...

and Rickenbacker International Airport.

Education

Worthington Schools operates public schools.

Thomas Worthington High School Thomas Worthington High School (TWHS) is a public school in Worthington, Ohio. The school was named Worthington High School until 1991, when sister school, Worthington Kilbourne High School, opened. With approximately 1700 students, TWHS is the l ...

and Worthington Kilbourne High School are the high schools of the city. The Linworth Alternative Program also operates within the city. The office of the

Columbus Japanese Language School is a weekend supplementary Japanese school, based in the Columbus, Ohio metropolitan area. The classes are held in Creekview Intermediate School, of the Marysville Exempted Village Schools District (MEVSD) in Marysville. The school office is ...

, a weekend supplementary Japanese school, is located in Worthington. The classes are held in Marysville. Previously classes were held at Worthington school district facilities. The Ohio Contemporary Chinese School (OCCS, ) is located in the area, holding classes at Worthington Kilbourne. It serves the Chinese American community. St. Michael's, a private Roman Catholic school, was founded in Worthington in 1954.

Notable people

* Gary Berry,

Green Bay Packer The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the thi ...

defensive back *

Earle Bruce Earle Bruce (March 8, 1931 – April 20, 2018) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Tampa (1972), Iowa State University (1973–1978), Ohio State University (1979–1987), the University of N ...

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

football coach * Dieter Cunz and Oskar Seidlin, professors, openly gay couple 1957-1969 * Susan Diol, actress *

Colin Gawel Colin Gawel (born 1969 in Worthington, Ohio), is co-founder, lead singer and guitarist of the American rock band Watershed who he formed with Joe Oestreich (vocals, bass) and Herb Schupp (drums) while they were still in middle school. The band is a ...

, lead singer and guitarist of Watershed *

Maggie Grace Margaret Grace Denig (born ) is an American actress and model. She is known for playing Shannon Rutherford on the ABC television series ''Lost'' (2004–2006; 2010), Kim Mills in the '' Taken'' trilogy (2008–2014), Irina in ''The Twilight Sa ...

, actress * Rachael Harris, actress and comedian * John Wesley Hoyt, third Governor of

Wyoming Territory The Territory of Wyoming was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 25, 1868, until July 10, 1890, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Wyoming. Cheyenne was the territorial capital. The bou ...

* Pat McCrory, longest-serving mayor of

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

* Eldon Miller, OSU basketball coach * Betty Montgomery, Former Ohio Attorney General and Auditor * J. R. Niklos, NFL fullback * Danny O'Rourke,

MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

soccer player * Christopher Paul, al Qaeda terrorist *

Troy Perkins Troy Perkins (born July 29, 1981) is an American former soccer player. During his career, he played for clubs in the United States, Canada, and Norway. The 2006 Major League Soccer Goalkeeper of the Year award winner earned seven caps with th ...

, former professional soccer goalkeeper and 2006

Goalkeeper of the Year * Michael R. Perry, Emmy Award-winning television and film writer *

Jack Plotnick Jack Stuart Plotnick (born October 30, 1968) is an American film and television actor, writer, and producer. Career Plotnick is possibly best known for his role as Edmund Kay in the 1998 period drama '' Gods and Monsters'', which won an Ac ...

, actor * Roswell S. Ripley, Confederate brigadier general who fought in the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

Claire Shipman Claire Shipman is an American television journalist, currently the senior national correspondent for ABC's ''Good Morning America''. She is married to Jay Carney, President Barack Obama's former White House Press Secretary. She is also Vice Ch ...

, ABC news correspondent *

J. K. Simmons Jonathan Kimble Simmons (born January 9, 1955) is an American actor, considered one of the most prolific and well-established character actors of his generation. He has appeared in over 200 films and television roles since his debut in 1986. He i ...

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-winning actor * Jeff Smith, Cartoonist, writer and illustrator of Bone comics *

Nick Swisher Nicholas Thompson Swisher (born November 25, 1980) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB). He was a switch hitter who threw left-handed, and played for the Oakland Athletics, Chica ...

, former

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

baseball player *

Dana Tyler Dana Tyler (born November 24, 1958) is a news anchor and reporter at WCBS-TV in New York City, where she anchors the station's 6 PM newscast. In addition, Tyler hosts ''Eye on New York'', a half-hour weekly community affairs program for WCBS, a ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

news anchor * Casey Close, Sports Agent

References

External links

Healthy Worthington Coalition

Worthington Public Library website

Worthington Historical Society

Worthington Memory Project
{{Authority control Cities in Ohio Cities in Franklin County, Ohio Populated places established in 1803 1803 establishments in Ohio