History of
The Village of Worthington

Worthington was settled in 1803 by several New England families from the Farmington River Valley of Connecticut and Massachusetts, under the leadership of pioneer businessman James Kilbourne. In 1802, Kilbourne organized a group of men to form the Scioto Company and headed west from Granby, Connecticut to explore and find land to create a new community. With help from his friend, Thomas Worthington, Kilbourne purchased 16,000 acres of land on behalf of the Scioto Company for $1.25 an acre. When Kilbourne returned to New England, he planned the layout for the village. He platted a New England-type village of 164 lots around a central public square, which was designated for religious and educational purposes, as well as a spot for community gatherings.

In September 1803, eleven families left their Connecticut homes and traveled by wagon train to their new home in Ohio. It took six weeks for the families to travel the 600 miles to their new home, arriving in October of 1803. They named their new village Worthington, in honor of Thomas Worthington, one of Ohio’s first senators and a future governor of Ohio, for his assistance in locating the tract of land that would become Worthington.

In 2003, Worthington celebrated its Bicentennial with a number of spectacular signature events, including a cross-state recreation of the Wagon Train that brought settlers to Worthington and an elegant costume ball, where attendees dressed in period costume, and enjoyed food, dancing and entertainment reminiscent of the early 1800’s. Throughout the year-long Bicentennial, Worthington residents honored the foresight of the community’s founders, who settled Worthington based on the values that still hold true today.

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