Skip to content
28-25 St. Mary Church
St. Mary Church was dedicated in 1868 in response to the spiritual needs of the growing German-Catholic population of Columbus’ South Side. The original schoolhouse, which stands behind the church, was erected in 1865 under the direction of Rev. Francis X. Specht, St. Mary’s first pastor. It served as a temporary house of worship until […]
27-25 Camp Chase
Camp Chase was a Civil War camp established in May 1861, on land leased by the U.S. Government. Four miles west of Columbus, the main entrance was on the National Road. Boundaries of the camp were present-day Broad Street (north), Hague Avenue (east), Sullivant Avenue (south), and near Westgate Avenue (west). Named for former Ohio […]
26-25 Canal Winchester and The Ohio and Erie Canal
You are standing on the site of Ohio and Erie Canal. The canal helped to open the interior of Ohio to trade and settlement and played a part in Winchester’s prosperity during the mid-1800s. Local farmers exported grain from the village via the canal while local merchants imported such items as coffee, dishes, and tools […]
6-16 Koquechagachton – Chief White Eyes
In the early 1770s, Chief White Eyes (Koquechagachton) of the Delaware tribe founded White Eyes Town approximately two miles southeast of this marker on a plain near present day West Lafayette. A friend of the Moravian leader David Zeisberger, White Eyes was an ardent supporter of Moravian missionary efforts and kept the Delawares neutral during […]
24-25 Archibald’s Mill
In 1833, Archibald Smith (1803-83) began to build a sawmill a short distance east of here where a tributary enters Blacklick Creek. His work was soon destroyed, he wrote, by a “rise of water known as the great Fourth of July Flood.” Undaunted, he completed the mill the next year and used it to saw […]
23-25 Wagnor Cemetery: Pioneer Burial Ground & Site of the First School in Plain Township
In 1820, Mark Evans, John Davis, and Jacob Waggoner acquired from Daniel Triplett an 18-rod-square parcel (approximately two acres) at this location on which to build the first school in Plain Township. Education was not publicly funded at the time and the first teacher, Jacob Smith, “kept” school for $1.50 per scholar. The fact that […]
22-25 Postle Family Cemetery 1829-1870
There are 48 known members of the Postle family buried in the cemetery. Their stories are interwoven with the history of Prairie Township, Franklin County, and Ohio. In 1810, Shadrach and Anna Stacia Postle were among the first settlers of Prairie Township. Their son Job was a veteran of the War of 1812 and later […]
21-25 Starling Medical College and St. Francis Hospital
This site, now Grant Medical Center, was the original location of the neo-gothic building that housed St. Francis Hospital and Starling Medical College, named for Columbus benefactor Lyne Starling. Established in 1849, Starling Medical College/St. Francis Hospital was significant as it was the first institution in the United States, governed by a single board of […]
19-25 John Rarey and “Cruiser”
John S. Rarey (1827-1866), born in Groveport, became internationally famous for his revolutionary horse-taming methods based on his strong belief in kindness to animals. The principles of his training system were kindness, patience, and firmness. One of his greater challenges was Cruiser (1852-1875), the wild-tempered stallion owned by Guy Carlton, Earl of Dorchester. After only […]
18-25 Historic Groveport
Pioneers began to settle in the Groveport area around the year 1800. Subsequent growth was spurred by the opening of the Ohio Erie Canal, and, in 1847, the adjacent settlements of Rarey’s Port and Wert’s Grove merged to form the village of Groveport. The canal, which crossed Main Street immediately east of this marker, declined […]