Short North Arts District in Columbus in Franklin County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Tod Barracks, 1863

Photographed by J. J. Prats, July 12, 2008

1. Tod Barracks, 1863 Marker, Side One

Inscription.
One of five Civil War military posts in Columbus, Tod Barracks, named in honor of Governor David Tod, was built in 1863 as the headquarters for military administration in central Ohio. Necessitated by Lincoln’s call for 300,000 new troops, the post was constructed in two months with United States Engineer, Captain John Tod, as supervisor. Carpenters of the 88th Ohio Volunteer Infantry from Camp Chase, three miles west, built it. Tod Barracks served as a recruiting depot, a rendezvous point for new recruits, and place where soldiers mustered-out after the war. Located adjacent to Columbus’ Union Station, the post also served as a transfer point for soldiers and officers traveling through Ohio.

Tod Barracks’ main administration building faced High Street; an arched entrance opened to a parade ground flanked by six barracks that quartered up to 5,000 enlisted soldiers. In addition, there was a guardhouse, two mess halls, small hospital, sutler’s store, and officers’ quarters and offices. The installation occupied almost nine acres and was surrounded by a twelve-foot high board fence. During the war, adjacent Goodale

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Park served as a campground for mobilizing regiments that could not be quartered at the barracks. Tod Barracks operated through 1866 while the Union army demobilized. The last remnant was torn down in 1911.

Erected 2003 by The Ohio Bicentennial Commission, the Hadler and Peppe Families, the Greater Columbus Convention Center, and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 83-25.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1863.

Location. 39° 58.423′ N, 83° 0.156′ W. Marker is in Columbus, Ohio, in Franklin County. It is in the Short North Arts District. It is at the intersection of North High Street and Goodale Street, on the right when traveling north on North High Street. Marker is in a small park at the edge of the convention center, across from the Union Station shops. It is difficult to see from High Street when heading north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Columbus OH 43215, 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,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At

Tod Barracks, 1863 Marker, Side Two image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, July 12, 2008

2. Tod Barracks, 1863 Marker, Side Two

least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Arnold Schwarzenegger (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Lincoln Goodale (approx. 0.2 miles away); Charles Benton Flagg (approx. 0.2 miles away); James S. Tyler / Tyler Family Legacy (approx. 0.2 miles away); Reverend Father Alexander Cestelli / Chiesta Italiana di San Giovanni Battista (approx. 0.3 miles away); Chiesa Italiana di San Giovanni Battista (approx. 0.3 miles away); Chiesa Italiana u San Giovanni Battista (approx. 0.3 miles away); Father Rocco Petrarca (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Columbus.

Other markers no longer nearby. HighBall (was a few steps from this marker but has been permanently removed); Goodale Park (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); The Short North (was approx. ¼ mile away but has been permanently removed); Union Station (was approx. 0.3 miles away but has been permanently removed).

Regarding Tod Barracks, 1863. The Convention Center now sits on land that was once Tod Barracks and the original Union Station and parts

Tod Barracks, 1863 Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, July 12, 2008

3. Tod Barracks, 1863 Marker

Marker is centered below and behind the Convention Center sign. The preserved facade of the last Union Station, on both sides of High Street straddling Interstate 670 below it, is to the left. High Street is in the foreground.

of its rail yard. Compare the street grid in the map reproduced in Photo No. 4 with the marker's current map.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, July 12, 2008

4. Tod Barracks, 1863 Marker

View is towards intersection of High and Goodale Streets. The preserved facade of the last Union Station, now shops, is in the distance.

Photographed by Ian Lefkowitz, May 29, 2025

5. Tod Barracks, 1863 Marker

In 2025, the marker remains in the same position, but is now in front of the entrance to the Convention Center due to a reconfiguration of the entryway.

Credits. This page was last revised on April 20, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 2, 2008, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,643 times since then and 47 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 2, 2008, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 5. submitted on July 5, 2025, by Ian Lefkowitz of New York, New York. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.