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Nestled on the banks of the Scioto River, Dublin is one of the oldest communities in central Ohio. The first white settlers began to arrive in 1801, and included Ludwick Sells and his eight children. Many of these earliest settlers came from Pennsylvania via Kentucky and brought with them their characteristic stone architecture, still seen in Dublin today.
The land on which Old Dublin stands was originally part of the Virginia Military District, assigned to Virginia veterans of the Revolutionary War. The Sells family acquired several parcels of this land and built a small settlement near a spring along the riverbank that still pours forth clear, cool water today just south of the bridge.
In 1810, when the Ohio legislature was seeking a permanent site for the state capital, two of the Sells brothers, Peter and John, who had arrived in 1808, made a large tract of their land available. Though the official site-selection commission recommended the Sells' tract, the legislature chose a small piece of real estate at the confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers. Though less desirable land, this location was accompanied by a sum of money to build a capitol and penitentiary.
John Sells, who owned the parcel of land where Old Dublin now stands, had a portion of his land surveyed into lots, and, in 1818, offered a new town for sale. According to local legend, the surveyor, an Irishman named John Shields, when asked to name the new town, is supposed to have said, "If I have the honor conferred upon me to name your village, with the brightness of the morn, and the beaming of the sun on the hills and dales surrounding this beautiful valley, it would give me great pleasure to name your new town after my birthplace, Dublin, Ireland."
The new town was strategically located on the Scioto River, which provided an opportunity for shipping. Early Dublinites shipped lumber, flour and bacon to the new capital, Columbus, and further south, to Kentucky. When the National Road reached Columbus in 1833 and the canals were completed, new settlers poured into central Ohio, and Dublin boomed. Her virgin forests and rich land provided abundant opportunities for development. Stores, shops and taverns sprang up, as well as small industries, including factories for tanning leather and for manufacturing shoes, saddles, hats, chemicals, barrels and wagons. High Street became a bustling center of commerce. From 1830 to 1850, Dublin was the fastest growing area in Franklin County.
Dublin's prosperity was short-lived. In 1855, when the Columbus, Piqua and Indiana Railroad passed well to the south of Dublin, a new town named Hilliard developed and Dublin's commercial aspirations suffered a major setback.
Still a center of trade for local residents and surrounding farmers, Dublin's stores and cottage industries continued to flourish. So did her taverns. In the third quarter of the century, Dublin began to develop a reputation as a town of drinking and brawling, attracting participants from the entire area.
Dublin was incorporated as a village in 1881. The first ordinances passed by the village council controlled the sale of liquor, and prohibited drinking on Sunday, intoxication, fighting, stone-throwing, obscenity and swimming in the river during the daytime. Even so, Dublin remained a lively town on Saturday night and local legend has it that there is hardly a single building in Dublin that did not at one time house a tavern.
In 1970, Dublin was still a village of only 681 residents. By then, however, the completion of the outerbelt had firmly cemented Dublin into the Columbus metropolitan area, setting the stage for a new era of exponential growth.
Today, Dublin boasts a residential base of more than 32,000. This explosive growth can be attributed to a number of factors, including the arrival of corporate headquarters such as Ashland Chemical Co. and Jack Nicklaus's development of the Muirfield Village Golf Club and residential area in the 1970s. Dublin was dubbed a city in 1987.
The ambiance of nearly 200 years ago is evident today, when strolling through Historic Dublin, where there are charming examples of early 19th-century architecture. It is a National Historic District with all of the older buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
VIsit Historic Dublin for its shopping, pubs, restaurants, galleries, architecture and history. (Be sure to call ahead for business hours--many Historic Dublin businesses are closed evenings, Sundays and holidays.)
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