Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1874-01-22
Carlisle, the first Senator from West

1t was during the gubernatorial ad
ninistraiiOn of Meiys that it was deei
ded to n.ake Columbus the Capital @
l the State. At its session at Zanesvill
in 1811-12, the Legislature accepted
the proposals of Colonel James John
son, Alex. Mclaughlin, John Kerr ant
! Lyme Startling, who owned the lant
I where Columbus now is, and passed al
act removing the seat of goveramen
back to Chillicothe until 1Sl6-17, afte
which it was to be in Columbus. Ii
the meantime the public building
were to be erected on land which Wa:
then dense fuIeot.
OTHNEaL LOCKER
was President of the Senate, and on the
retirement of Meigs became acting Gov
eInor, serving part of the year 1914. Ht
was in public life about the time of the
battles on the Niagara frontier. and
when Gen. Harrison was making Q
brilliant military record. Further than
that he for a short time occupied the
Executive Office, we have no data con-
cerning Gov. LOCKER.
THOMAS WORTHINGTON
was elected Governor, and immediate
ly succeeded LOCKER. Gov. Worthing-
ton was a member Of the Territorial
Legislature from Ross county, and he
and John Smith were the first U. S.
Senators from Ohio after the organiza-
tion of the State Government. Worth
ington served in the Senate from 1903
to 1907, and again from 1910 to 1914,
when he became Governor, serving in
! that capacity till some time in the year
1918. The name of Thomas WOrthing-
! ton is also among the names of Repre-
! sentatives in the General Assembly
who voted for the canal act in the ses-
sion of 1S24-5. He was also one of the
Canal Commissioners.
COLUMBUS THE CAPITAL.
Columbus became the seat of govern
ment during Worthington's term in
The Governors office. Faithful to their
contract with the State, the proprie-
| tors of Columbus commenced eScava-
ting for the State buildings. on the
southwest part of the ground dedicated
as the public square, and completed
| their contract two years before the time
specified. On the 18th of Feb, 1916,
the Legislature passed final act estab-
fishing the seat of Government in Co
lumbus; the State offices were removed
from Chillicothe TO Columbus: and the
session of the General Assembly begin
ming on the first Monday ia Dec, 1910,
was held in the State House in this ci-
ty. ln the settlement with the propri-
etors of Columbus the State paid them
0,0O0 after deducting 6 or per cent
from the charge for carpenter work,
and the S50,000 the proprietors had
agreed 70 donate-the State citing two
ten-acre lots and the public buildings.
A census of Columbus taken in the
spring of 1916, about a year and half
before the assembling of the Legisla-
ture here, showed populati IN of
about 700. Previous to that timo
Franklin had been town of Overshad-
owing consequence, but the location of
the capital gave an impetus TO the in
FAINT Of the woods ''on the high bank"
of the Scioto river, and in 1920 the town
had 1450 0inhabitants. The Legislature,
it may be, reasonably presumed, found
Columbus in a primitiye situation.
The forest trees in Capitol Square had
been cleared away, but stunps, brush
and logs ohstructed many of the streets
SO that teams were obliged to go in zig
gag directions. Shortly before the Leg
islature arrived the sum OF 800 was
raised to clear the Instructions from
High Street, and after the town. by an
act of Incorporation passed Feb. 10, 1916,
assumed the dignity of the "b6rGug OF
Columbus" the Council gradually inn
proved the streets. 4
THE OLD STATE HOUSE
was built of brick and extended Is feet
iiorbh and south along High street, and
SQ foot md yx-Qcf oil lnncr Stafn cfr
the spire rose l06 feet from the grOund.
their work by the ringing Of bell |
hang, Just above the balcony. The
wall was of dressed stone,
floor was the hall of the House f Rep- !
com mmittee-rOOmS. On the second 600, /
committee-rooms, but no gallery. This
building was destroyed by fire on the
1st of Feb. 1852, and the last bang Of |
the old teis, a. it fell from the position |
it had occupied for So i4s4ag years, has
been celebrated IN yefse.
= THE OLD STATE OFFICES
were in a two-story brick building,
fronting $50 feet on High street. and so
feet north of the State House. This
building was about opposite Ambos
Hall, and the U. S. Court House, still
further north, was opposite the place
where the Neil House now stands. The
Office was to the left of an
entrance hall from the central front
door. The second. story was devoted
priuci pally to- thepurpeses OF State
r xuh;cy, t,,a, fohI;sb t,1 -, 1917
but parts of it were used as Offices for
the Quartermaster and Adjntant Cen
erals. The old State buildings were
the erection of the present Capitol bull
ling, to make way for the grading of
The grounds. AS near as we can as ;
by the original buildings, was
Judge Pike, at the time Of the first as
iembling of the Le 'gislature in Colum-
BUS, and for some years afterward; sub
it laid in commons until
S44, when it was enclosed with neat
ence; and at about the same time
lumber of elm trees were planted by
Alfred Kelly.
ETHAN ALLEN BROWN.
We pass from the administration of
9ov. Worthington, during which the
irst State buildings in Columbus were
aiken possession of, to that of his sue
,essor, Ethan Allen Brown, who be-
,ame Governor in 1918. Gov. Brown
lad previously been Judge of the
Supreme Court, having been one of
hose appointed on the 10th of Feb,
$40, after the sweeping" resolution
adopted by the General Assembly on
he 18th of Jan. previous, by which the
,ivil officers of the State were "swept"
)ut of office. The historian from whom
We take this information says the Leg
stature was inflamed to a high degree