Happy 250th Birthday, America!
As we kick off the United States of America’s Semiquincentennial, which will be officially commemorated July 4, 2026, each state has been encouraged to celebrate its unique character and contributions to the nation over the past 250 years. The City of Dublin is following the charge and America 250-Ohio’s plan by examining what has set our city apart.
Throughout the year we’ll be highlighting our points of pride since the early days of Dublin. This month, we take a look at “Dublin’s Firsts & Originals.”
The first inhabitants were the Adena, Hopewell, Delaware, Shawnee and Wyandot tribes. But the town didn’t get its name until many years later when the Sells brothers of Pennsylvania acquired land from Lt. James Holt, who had been given 889 acres in the Virginia Military District for his service in the Revolutionary War. Initially, the new settlement was known as Sells Town until one of the brothers, John Sells, platted it as a village in 1810. He gave an Irish surveyor by the name of John Shields the honor of naming the community. Shields chose the name of his own beloved hometown of Dublin, Ireland.
Today, familiar names like Karrer, Mitchell, Davis, Coffman, Pinney and Tuller adorn school buildings and roadways and represent the families that once called Dublin home – and in some cases, still do to this day.
A Prosperous Community
Farmland and limestone quarries kept many of the residents of the mid- to late-1800s occupied. While one of Dublin’s first families plied their trade in the entertainment industry. The Sells Brothers Circus was well-known throughout the region before being sold in 1904 to the Ringling Brothers.
The Dublin Barber Shoppe, in operation since 1937, remains the City’s oldest, continuing business operation. Today, Dublin is home to more than 4,300 businesses, including more than 20 corporate headquarters and several companies that are household names: The Wendy’s Company, Cardinal Health, Stanley Steemer and Perio Inc., which manufactures Barbasol shaving cream.
Much of the growth and attraction of name-brand businesses can be attributed to the thoughtful growth and vision of civic and community leaders. Three major sparks that ignited the transition of Dublin from a sleepy, farming community to a world-class city are often cited as the decision by Ashland Chemical to build its headquarters here, the construction of a Dublin exit from Interstate 270 and the development of Muirfield Village Golf Club and adjoining housing community by famed golfer Jack Nicklaus.
When the Interstate 270 outerbelt project was announced in 1962, Dublin Village Council began a long-range planning process culminating in the adoption of Dublin’s first Comprehensive Land Use Plan in 1967. It was an effort that began a continuing process to update and protect future development of the village. The strategy worked and soon Dublin began to attract companies and residents by the score. In 1987, the village had reached a population of 11,000 more than qualifying it to become a city.
It’s Greener in Dublin
City leaders would soon turn their attention to providing first-rate amenities for residents. The Dublin Community Recreation Center was built in 1996 and expanded in 2000, adding the Abbey Theater of Dublin and a community hall, and becoming a 110,000-square-foot building.
Dublin City Council wanted to ensure that the beautiful green vistas that originally attracted the Native American tribes and families like the Sells would continue. Land dedication for greenspace and parks is required as part of the City’s development regulations. As a result, Dublin boasts more than 1,300 acres of parkland across 64 developed parks and 154 miles of shared-use paths.
Two outdoor community swimming pools, sports courts, a skating park, soccer fields, a kayak launch and lighted pickleball courts are just some of the active pursuits awaiting residents and visitors alike.
All the while, efforts were made to ensure plenty of community events would bring people together – from Independence Day parades and celebrations to frog jumps and, eventually, the world-renowned Dublin Irish Festival.
A New Vision for Downtown Dublin
Hoping to “bridge” the future with the past, in 2015 the City embarked on a public-private partnership with developer Crawford Hoying. The result is a 30-acre, multi-phase, mixed-use development straddling the Scioto River. An iconic culmination of the project was the construction of the Dublin Link pedestrian bridge, which is the longest, single-tower, S-shaped suspension bridge in the world and links Historic Dublin on the west side of the river with the Bridge Park development on the east side.
Enabling these projects to come to life and providing fiscal stability for the City of Dublin is the solid economic base that has earned Dublin the distinction of being the first and only city to earn four AAA bond ratings from Moody’s, Fitch, S&P and KBRA.
These accomplishments have created the foundation for the City to achieve City Council’s goals of being the most connected, most resilient and most sustainable city in the world.
Significant Dublin “firsts”
1803 – Sells Settlement officially established
1855 – Incorporated as a village.
1862 – The Coffman Homestead is built.
1888 – Dublin School District formed.
1927 – First traffic light installed at Bridge and High streets.
1937 – Washington and Perry Township Fire Department formed Dublin Volunteer Fire Department.
1944 – Dublin builds its first firehouse on Bridge Street.
1947 – Dublin organizes its first high school football team.
1959 – The first bank opened in Dublin.
1967 – Ashland Chemical selects Dublin for its headquarters.
1971 – I-270 west outerbelt opens with Dublin exit.
1975 – Dublin Chamber of Commerce established.
1976 – First Memorial Tournament played at Muirfield Village Golf Course.
1979 – Dublin’s Charter adopted establishing council-manager form of government and the election of both ward and at-large Council Members.
1987 – Designated as a city.
Dublin, Ohio, Famous Graduates
Jeremy Bobb, actor
Nate Ebner, commentator, coach and former NFL football player and Olympic rugby player
Sean Kuraly, NHL hockey player
Kent Mercker, former MLB baseball player
Chinedum Ndukwe, former NFL football player
Brady Quinn, broadcaster and former NFL football player
Jacy Sheldon, WNBA basketball player
Abby Steiner, track and field sprinter
Chris Wood, actor
Vince Workman, former NFL football player
