Dublin Fought To Be Ohio’s Capital City

Dublin joined Worthington and Franklinton on the short list of communities that wanted to be Ohio’s centralized capital city.

Peter and Benjamin Sells settled Dublin in part because it was high above the Scioto River, 10TV’s Kurt Ludlow reported.

The land, which later was to be called Dublin, was first named Sells Town, and by 1810, the family was looking to sell land and bring in new neighbors.

The family hired surveyor John Shields to lay out 200 blocks to sell, and they let Shields, an Ireland native, name the land.

“He is the one that gave us the name Dublin, because his home in Dublin, Ireland, was on the Liffey River,” said Herb Jones of the Dublin Historical Society.

In 1812, Dublin joined Worthington and Franklinton on a list of communities that wanted to be the state’s capital.

“There’s always a story that goes with it,” Jones said. “The people from Franklinton, Dublin and Worthington met down in Franklinton and played a game of poker.”

According to the story, it came down to John Sells of Dublin and a doctor from Franklinton – Sells turned over three kings and lost to the Franklinton doctor’s three aces.

“Dublin came out on the short end,” Jones said. “It may have some truth to it.”

Early state officials selected the area across the Scioto River from Franklinton to start the capital, and Columbus was born.

Columbus prospered and expanded, and Dublin slowly gained population, Ludlow reported.

Everything changed when the state finished the beltway in 1975.

“Jack Nicklaus’ project with the tournament at Muirfield, that’s when it really began to take off,” Jones said.

Many think of Leatherlips when thinking of the Memorial Tournament. Leatherlips, a Wyandot chieftain, led the Wyandot into the 19th century and had a good relationship with settlers from the American colonies.

Leatherlips is blamed for rain during the Memorial Tournament each year, despite a statue and monument established for him, Ludlow reported.

Nowadays, people flock to Dublin for the Dublin Irish Festival, which draws more than a hundred thousand people each year, and the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Another draw is public art, like the city’s Field of Corn that pays homage to the area’s agrarian roots. The city is also home to a number of large companies like Wendy’s, Cardinal Health, Verizon and Ashland Chemical.

“Its growth, and what makes it grow is the people that come here and the businesses that come here and what they attract,” Jones said.

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