Powell is a city in Delaware County, Ohio, United States, located 14 miles (21.5 km) north of the state capital of Columbus. Powell had an estimated population of 14,163 at the 2020 census. Founded in the early 1800s, it is now a suburb of Columbus.
At a Glance
- County: Delaware County
- State: Ohio
History of Powell
Present day Powell is located on land that was once a vast wilderness sparsely populated by Native Americans including the Huron, Wyandot, Miami, Delaware, Ottawa, Shawnee, Mingo, and Erie people. The region was surveyed by French Canadian and European explorers beginning in the 17th century; with Great Britain, France, and the Iroquois League claiming ownership of the land during periods of the 1600s and 1700s. By the 18th century, the land became part of that what is historically known as Ohio Country. During the American Revolution, the states of Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia claimed portions of the land during western expansion of the United States. The Land Ordinance of 1785 opened up the region to settlement by American pioneers, including veterans of the American Revolutionary War who had received bounty land warrants as compensation for their services. In 1787, the region was established as the Northwest Territory.
The first settlers arrived in present day Powell on May 1, 1801. At the time, the land was deeded to Thomas R. Hall. By 1813, records indicate that the settlement became known as "Middlebury", in possible reference to early settlers having come from Middlebury, Connecticut. Today, Powell maintains references to its heritage as Middlebury with multiple streets and housing developments applying the name.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Powell, Ohio, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.