Officers Preparing to Move.
An act, supplementary to the act, entitled, "An act, fixing and establishing the permanent and temporary seat of government."
Section 1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of the state of Ohio, That the offices of auditor, treasurer and secretary of state shall be removed to, and established at the permanent seat of government, at the town of Columbus, in the month of October, in the year one thousand eight hundred and seventeen, and all the books, papers, and other articles belonging to said offices, shall be carefully packed up and removed, under the inspection and direction of the persons holding the respective offices of auditor, treasurer and secretary of state.
And the said officers shall attend at the permanent seat of government aforesaid, and keep their said offices respectively.
Sec. 2. Be it further enacted, That a director for the town of Columbus, shall be appointed by joint resolution, who shall continue in office until the rising of the next general assembly; and the director shall give bond, and take the oath required by the act, ascertaining the duties of the director of the town of Columbus; and the said director so to be appointed, shall perform all the duties required by the before recited act. and such other duties as may be required of him by law.
JOHN Pollock, Speaker of the House of Representatives.
OTHNIEL LOOKER, Speaker of the Senate.
February 9. 1814.
First Toll Bridge in Columbus.
An act to authorize Lucas Sullivant and his associates, to erect a toll bridge across the Scioto river at the town of Columbus.
Section 1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of the state of Ohio. That Lucas Sullivant and his associates, and those who may hereafter associate with him, are hereby authorized to build a bridge across the Scioto river in the county of Franklin, at the place where Broad street, in said town of Columbus, now crosses said river, leading into the Main street in the town of Franklinton: and the said Lucas Sullivant and his associates, if any there be, and his and their heirs and assigns, are hereby authorized to ask, demand and receive from passengers who may cross said bridge, the following rates of toll to-wit: For each foot passenger, three cents; for every horse, mule or ass, one year old or upwards, four cents; for each horse and rider, twelve and one-half cents; for every chaise, riding chair, gig, cart or other two wheeled carriage, with two horses or two oxen and driver, thirty-seven and one-half cents; for the same with one horse and driver, twenty-five cents; for each sleigh or sled, drawn by two horses or oxen, twenty-five cents; for the same drawn by one horse and driver, eighteen and three-fourths cents; for every coach, chariot or other pleasurable carriage, with four wheels and driver, drawn by four horses, seventy-five cents; for the same carriages and driver, drawn by two horses, fifty cents; for every wagon with two horses or oxen and driver, thirty-seven and a half cents; and for each horse or ox in addition, six and a fourth cents; for every head of neat cattle six months old or upwards, two cents; for every head of cattle younger than six months old, and for every head of sheep or hogs, one-half cent; Provided always, That all public mails and expresses, all troops of the United States and of this state, with their artillery, baggage and stores, and all persons who are exempted by the laws of the state from the payment of ferriages, may pass over said bridge free from the toll aforesaid; and it shall be the duty of the said Lucas and others as aforesaid, their or any of their several assignees or representatives, to set up and constantly to keep up, exposed to public view, in some conspicuous place near the gate which may be constructed across said bridge, a board or canvas, on which shall be printed or painted in fair and legible characters, the rates of toll herein above established.
See. 2. Be it further enacted, That if the said Lucas and others as aforesaid, his, her or their several assignees or representatives, shall within four years from the passing of this act, have erected and made a good and complete bridge at the place aforesaid, made of sufficient width, having a convenient foot way, with hand railing and cart away or cart ways, and in other respects of sufficient strength and dimensions, so as to admit of the safe passage of the passengers, carriages and cattle as aforesaid, then the said Lucas and others as aforesaid, may ask and receive the toll as above described during the term of sixty years; and if the said Lucas or his associates, if any there be, shall demand and receive a greater or higher toll than is allowed by the first section of this act, he and they shall be subject to the like fines and forfeitures as are provided in case of ferries: Provided, the navigation of said river shall in no wise be obstructed by the erection of said bridge, nor the fording of said river be in any wise injured; Provided also, That after the year one thousand eight hundred and thirty-one, it shall be lawful for the general assembly to make such alterations in the rate of tolls established by this act as they may judge proper.
John Pollock, Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Thomas Kirker, Speaker of the Senate.
February 3, 1815.
Legislative Officers Preparing for Removal.
Resolved by the general assembly of the state of Ohio, That the doorkeeper of the senate and doorkeeper of the house of representatives shall take charge of and preserve, in good order, the furniture of their respective houses, and have the same in proper order and place for the general assembly on the first Monday of December next, or at any preceding time should the legislature be convened; and that the doorkeeper of each house forward to the secretary of state, all books in possession of their respective houses, the property of the state; and that immediately after the rising of the legislature, the clerks of the respective branches shall make a true inventory of all papers belonging to the state in their possession, and deliver the same properly filed, together with the inventory, to the secretary of state, whose duty it shall be to receive and keep the same, subject to the order of any future legislature.
February 15, 1815.
A Busy Time in the Woods.
As may be surmised, the period between 1812 and 1817 was one of bustle and confusion, and speculation in town lots began even before the lots were "laid off," and the new city was full of life and business, though the most of it was still in a state of nature.
The assurance that if the seat of government, if not permanently fixed at Columbus would remain there until 1840 at least, was a sufficient guarantee to bring prospective buyers and settlers from all parts of the state, and began to turn the streams of immigration from the northern, eastern and southern states Columbusward, and many of them charmed with the fertile soil of Franklin county purchased farms and settled down beyond the contemplated limits of the city, and their children's children still occupy many of those fertile farmholds. The proprietors themselves were constantly bestirring themselves over against the day of a public sale of city lots.
Mr. William F. Martin, one of the early chroniclers of men and events, wrote entertainingly in 1858 of the doings of some forty years previously and instituted some contemporaneous comparisons for which the present chronicler takes great pleasure in giving him the credit due to a literary predecessor in the morning hours of Columbus history.
On the 19th of February, 1812, at Zanesville, the proprietors, Starling, Johnston, McLaughlin and Kerr, signed and acknowledged their articles of association, as partners, under the law for laying out, etc., the town of Columbus. In this instrument it was stipulated that a common stock was to be created for the benefit of the firm; that Starling was to put into said stock half section number twenty-five, except ten acres previously sold to John Brickell; Johnston was to put in half section number nine and half of section number ten; and McLaughlin and Kerr (who had previously been partners and were jointly considered as one or a third party to this agreement) were to put in half section number twenty-six, on which they were to lay out the town, agreeably to their proposals to the legislature, the proceeds of the sales to remain in common stock until they should complete their contract with the state.
An Agent Provided For.
They were to have a common agent, to make sales and superintend their whole business. Each party was to pay into the hands of this agent the