History of Delaware

Long before the City of Delaware came into existence, Native Americans lived in the area and settlements were established where the future town would develop.

In 1804, Moses Byxbe arrived in central Ohio from Berkshire County, Massachusetts. He had acquired a large number of land deeds which were part of the United States Military lands, given in payment to Revolutionary War soldiers to promote settlement. In the spring of 1808, Byxbe platted the town on the west bank. On May 9, 1808, Byxbe filed the “plan of the town of Delaware,” marking the real beginning of the present City of Delaware.

Byxbe (1756-1826) accomplished a great deal in a little more than 20 years on the Ohio frontier – Delaware’s founding and planning, growing a local economy, the enlistment of capable civic partners, and even an attempt to locate Ohio’s capital in Delaware. The tough-mindedness that served Byxbe well in Delaware’s early days also drew its share of detractors, but there is general agreement that Byxbe excelled at attracting high-caliber settlers who formed the basic population upon which Delaware was founded.

Following the War of 1812, settlers began arriving at a faster pace, including the parents of Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th President of the United States. Hayes was born in Delaware and met his future wife, Lucy, at Ohio Wesleyan University. Ohio Wesleyan was founded in 1842 by Methodists seeking to establish a liberal arts college.

Prior to the Civil War, Delaware had Northern sympathies and abolitionists brought the Underground Railway through the area. The local Africa Road owes its name to this era. Camp Delaware, a Civil War-era camp for soldiers was one of the few from which African American soldiers deployed to fight for the Union. During and following the war, railroads played an important role in expansion. By 1900, Delaware had its own electric street railway, and a regional rail connection.

In the modern era, residential and industrial development has flourished. The proximity to Columbus, as well as historic periods of growth and prosperity, has greatly influenced the Delaware economy. Its history, however, is carefully preserved in its many 19th century buildings and homes, its comfortable scale and “hometown” pace of life.

Delaware County Historical Society