Virginia Military District

Virginia Military District. . , The charters establishing the original thirteen colonies were vague in their descriptions of location. In some cases, more than one colony had a legal claim to the same western land. After much controversy and compromise, each new state gave up its claim to the west. The lands were placed in public domain to benefit all the states. Virginia, which had given up vast claims as part of compromise, reserved an area in Ohio called the Virginia Military District. It was bounded by the Scioto River to the north and east and the Little Miami River to the west. All of present-day Union County was within the Virginia Military District., Large amounts of land were given to Virginians who had fought in the Revolutionary War. The amount depended upon rank and length of service. The locations and shape of the tracts were largely unrestricted. Claimants arriving first chose the land they deemed most desirable with latecomers choosing from what remained available. Original surveys of land in the Virginia Military District were called Virginia Military Surveys. Although they were rough and prone to error, these original surveys were the basis for all later surveys and land claims. In 1852, Virginia turned over all remaining land to the federal government. In 1871, Congress granted the land to the State of Ohio, which used it to create an endowment for The Ohio State University.