Native Americans – Hopewell, Adenas, Delaware, Shawnee and Wyandot – were the first inhabitants of the countryside that was to become Dublin. Today’s Dublin was originally part of 2,000 acres of land given to Lieutenant James Holt by the US Government as payment for service in the Revolutionary War.
After several real estate transactions, John Sells and his family purchased 400 acres of land along the Scioto River in the early 1800s. This area was platted as a village in 1810. Little did he realize that his Village of Dublin would develop into one of the most progressive communities in Central Ohio. Today, the site of Sells’ original purchase is known as Historic Dublin. Through well-managed growth, Dublin has preserved its historic past, while enriching the quality of life within the community. Early 19th century architecture and dry limestone fences bordering its roads add to Historic Dublin’s heritage. Many of its original buildings are listed in the National Register of Historical Places.
In the 1970s, Dublin was transformed from a rural village into a suburban business center, due largely to the completion of the I-270 outerbelt and development of the Muirfield Village Golf Club and residential community. The quality of Dublin’s commercial construction was established early with the development of Metro Center, the headquarters of Ashland Chemical Company and the Midwestern Volkswagen complex. With rapid business and residential growth, Dublin officially became a city in August 1987.
Get caught up on the last 200 years in Dublin, Ohio
Dublin’s Journey is an adventure that begins with the Sells family’s purchase of land in 1803 and continues through the development of the rural village that today is known as Historic Dublin. The spirits of Dublin’s past and the enthusiasm of its people today are recounted, from the days of taverns and dusty roads to modern corporate headquarters and interstate highways, from the early 1800s to the present.
Dublin history includes stories about the legend of Leatherlips, the great Wyandotte chief, and how Dublin lost the rights to become the capital of Ohio in a poker game. The book outlines Jack Nicklaus’ inspiration for The Memorial Tournament and how the Dublin Irish Festival grew from a small party on the Coffman Park tennis courts to one of the largest festivals in the country attracting over 102,000 visitors.
Dublin’s Journey shares memories of Historic Dublin and the high school kids who gathered at the Dublin Food Market; the homecoming ritual of placing an Amish buggy on the roof of the high school; and the academic and athletic achievements of Dublin graduates.
Dublin’s Journey outlines the fortuitous planning that City leaders undertook to create a world-class community, from merging emergency services to building roads to implementing zoning codes and insuring ample greenspace.
Purchase your copy of Dublin’s Journey at the Dublin Municipal Building, 5200 Emerald Parkway. For more information, contact Community Relations, at 614.410.4450.
Dublin History Collection
View the Digital Scrapbook for the Bicentennial and Beyond
A collaboration between the Dublin Historical Society, the Dublin Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library, and the City of Dublin, the Dublin Memory Project was awarded a grant from the City of Dublin in 2009 to help celebrate the Bicentennial in 2010. The grant allows the partners to gather and promote, research and catalogue, digitize and preserve Dublin’s history for in-person and on-line access. We are assembling Dublin’s digital “scrapbook.”
