Circleville has one of the most interesting courthouses of the counties bordering Franklin (after Licking and Union, of course). The town has compelling architecture for its size, especially in the Italianate style, and the unique city planning history of Circleville seems to be a little-known tidbit of Ohio history.
Circleville, nicknamed Roundtown, is a city in central Ohio which is the county seat of Pickaway County. It has a population of almost 14,000 people as of 2020.
Circleville was settled by Europeans in 1810, though the Lenape and Wyandot lived on the lands that Circleville sits on beforehand. Its name comes from the fact that the city was originally laid out in a circular plan within the boundaries of a Hopewell earthwork. By the 1830s, residents disliked the odd lots and the courthouse's central placement, which drew in unsanitary farm animals and horses. The process of "squaring the circle" began in 1838, which took at least two decades to complete, due to the necessary demolition and moving of buildings and roads. This process obliterated the earthworks, which are almost completely gone today. Today, Circleville is known for its annual pumpkin show.
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