South Columbus in Franklin County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Merion Village
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., March 10, 2009
1. Merion Village Marker (Side A)
Merion Village was named for the Nathaniel Merion family, who in 1809 settled what is now the South Side of Columbus on 1800 acres of the Refugee Lands. Entrepreneur William Merion operated “Merion's Landing” in the 1830s to capitalize on the canal trade from the Columbus Feeder Canal. This area saw a large influx of German immigrants as the South Side industrialized in the mid-nineteenth century. Later, many Irish, Italian, and eastern European immigrants who worked in the local steel mills and foundries made their homes here.
Side B:
Many of the homes in Merion Village date from an early-1900s building boom as the “Steelton” area to the south became a manufacturing center. Homes, churches, schools, and stores quickly rose on farmland and other undeveloped land between the mills and the near South Side. Streetcars ran down Parsons Avenue and Fourth Street.
This park is the former site of the Moeller Homestead, which stood adjacent to Moeller's Elevator Works factory, both now demolished. The Moeller family were early South Side residents. The City of Columbus dedicated Moeller Park
this page online
Erected 2001 by The Merion Village Association, The City of Columbus, and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 35-25.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1809.
Location. 39° 56.185′ N, 82° 59.272′ W. Marker is in Columbus, Ohio, in Franklin County. It is in South Columbus. It is at the intersection of Hanford Street and Bruck Street, on the right when traveling east on Hanford Street. Marker is in Moeller Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Columbus OH 43206, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s Scioto Valley. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture,
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., March 10, 2009
2. Merion Village Marker (Side B)
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Girl With Yo-Yo, 2020 (approx. 0.3 miles away); Southwood Elementary School (approx. 0.4 miles away); Franklin County Soldiers of the Mexican War (approx. 0.4 miles away); Historic German Village (approx. 0.4 miles away); a different marker also named Historic German Village (approx. 0.4 miles away); Gold Star Mothers (approx. 0.4 miles away); Discover the History Schiller Park (approx. half a mile away); Join Friends of Schiller Park (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Columbus.
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., March 10, 2009
3. Merion Village Marker
Looking west across Moeller Park toward St. Leo Catholic Church (221 Hanford St).
Credits. This page was last revised on February 3, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 27, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,656 times since then and 38 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 27, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
