Columbus, OH

COLUMBUS, city, seat of justice of Franklin co., and capital of O., occupies a gentle slope on the east side of the Scioto river, 110 miles northeast of Cincinnati, and 863 miles from Washington. A large public square of 10 acres, in the centre of the city, is formed by the intersection of rectangular streets, and contains the statehouse, an imposing edifice of brick, with a cupola 106 feet above the ground, which displays an interesting view of a wide surface of country. Fronting this square, are also the federal courthouse, and a building for state purposes. The penitentiary is a solid and extensive structure of limestone. There are also asylums for the insane, and for the blind, deaf, and dumb; banks, churches, and numerous other prominent buildings. Columbus owes much of its prosperity to the circumstance of its being the seat of state government; but manufactures and trade are increasing with the facilities of communication. The Columbus Branch canal extends 10 miles, to the Ohio and Erie canal, which traverses the state from Portsmouth, on the Ohio, to Cleveland, on Lake Erie, a distance of 307 miles. The Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Columbus railroad communicates with this place. The population in 1820, was 1,400; in 1830, 2,435; in 1840, 6,048; in 1850, 16,893. (Fanning's, 1853)