It is not uncommon for a city or town to be named after a defining feature or a key element of the community’s history. It is less common, however, for a name to be retained long after that feature ceases to be, and even less so when the feature becomes its exact opposite. One such instance, can be seen in the town of Circleville in Pickaway County, Ohio. Upon its founding in 1810, the reason for Circleville’s name was clear, but by 1856, the town had been transformed from a circle to a square.
In the early nineteenth century, central Ohio was settled by groups of European descent. During their settlement, these groups found the area covered with numerous earthworks which came to be known as the Hopewell mounds. These mounds, constructed by indigenous peoples likely between 100 and 500 CE, were present on the land that would become Circleville. In 1810, the Ohio General Assembly deemed one such large circular mound would serve as the center of the soon to be constructed seat of Pickaway County. It has been said that the site was chosen to preserve the integrity of the mound as the city would be constructed around and among the existing land formation. On 25 July 1810, Daniel Dreisbach was selected as the Director of the newly formed city of Circleville.1,2
The planned layout for the town formulated by Driesbach worked within the confines of the existing earthworks by placing the county courthouse on top of the mound and constructing two concentric circles around the courthouse with streets radiating from the center.3 The entire community was to be contained within a 1,100 foot diameter circle, which ultimately led the town to adopt Circleville as its name.4 Despite their initial intention of preserving the integrity of the mound, construction upon it ultimately caused a complete destruction of any identifiable structures.5
Initially, interest in construction in and settlement of Circleville was high. A large barbecue was held on 10 September 1810, the first day lots were available for purchase.6 On that day, Driesbach sold twenty-nine lots, and eleven more were sold the following day. Such was the excitement that those who purchased lots engaged in a competition to determine who could complete a new home on their lot first.7
Enthusiasm for the unique layout was short-lived, however. By the 1830’s, residents had several grievances with the town’s circular shape, which led to discussions about abandoning the format. One reason that was provided for objection to the circle layout was that some felt it was childish and ill-fitting.8 Additionally, the round road surrounding the county courthouse became a site for livestock to congregate and make a mess of the street. Many felt that this cast a negative light on Circleville and could potentially cause the legislature to relocate the seat of Pickaway County to another town. However, the most oft-cited reason for the desire to redesign Circleville’s layout was that the sale of circular-shaped lots left a good deal of vacant land that was not sold or used for farming.9
With all of these concerns in mind, residents of the town of Circleville sought authorization from the state legislature to rebuild the town’s layout to a standard grid.10 The legislature authorized the act in 1837, and on 20 January 1838, a bill was introduced to incorporate a company to carry out the project.11 The geometric nature of the act made naming the company simple, as it was founded as the Squaring Circleville Company. The company’s incorporation was approved during the March 1838 legislative session.12
The process of squaring Circleville was far from rapid, as it would not be completed until 1856, eighteen years after it was begun. The first two years saw a significant amount of work accomplished, as the southeast quadrant of the town’s center was reconstructed as a grid by March 1839 and the northwest quadrant was completed by September of that year. Work then stalled for nearly a decade until 1849 when the northeast quadrant was squared, leaving only the southeast quadrant as a quarter circle until the work was completed in 1856.13 The final segment of the project was likely inspired by the promise of a potential railroad through Circleville which was first reported in 1851.14
Unfortunately, the reorganization of the layout necessitated a significant amount of construction work which ultimately destroyed the what had remained of the original earthworks, with only one small patch of elevated ground remaining.15 There exists only one drawing of the original layout of Circleville before the circle was squared. In 1836, a man named G.F. Wittich created sketches which he used to develop a watercolor painting in 1870.16
Despite retaining the name of Circleville, little remains today of the town’s original circular layout. In 2002, a historical marker was added to the lot next to the current municipal court building which stands very near the site of the original county courthouse that served as the center of Circleville.17
Sources
[1] Van Cleaf, Hon. Aaron R., History of Pickaway County, Ohio and Representative Citizens, (Chicago, IL, 1906), pg. 31.
[2] Jacobs, Frank, “Ohio’s Circleville ditched the grid system. Then it got squared.” Strange Maps, 20 March 2024, https://bigthink.com/strange-maps/squaring-circleville/.
[3] Ibid
[4] Arney, James, “The Story of Circleville Residents Squaring Their Circle” Columbus Navigator, 29 March 2022.
[5] Jacobs
[6] Kuster, Gordon, “Pickaway County in the Old Days” Columbus Sunday Dispatch, 14 July 1935, pg. 65.
[7] Van Cleaf, 32.
[8] History of Franklin and Pickaway Counties, Ohio: with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of the Prominent Men and Pioneers, (Williams Bros., 1880), pg. 179.
[9] Ibid
[10] Arney
[11] “In Senate, Friday, Jan. 19, 1838” Ohio Statesman, 20 January 1838, pg. 2.
[12] “List of Acts & c. Passed at the Last Session of the General Assembly” Ohio Statesman, 21 March 1838, pg. 3.
[13] Jacobs
[14] “Improvement in Circleville” Daily Ohio Statesman, 7 July 1851, pg. 2.
[15] History of Franklin and Pickaway Counties, Ohio, pg. 180.
[16] Ibid, pg. 181.
[17] Clio, “"The Squaring of Circleville" Historical Marker” https://theclio.com/entry/65229.