Chillicothe

Chillicothe, city, seat (1798) of Ross county, south-central Ohio, U.S. The city lies along the Scioto River and Paint Creek, about 45 miles (72 km) south of Columbus. It is overlooked (northeast) by Mount Logan, which is depicted on the official state seal. It was first settled (1796) by Virginians led by Nathaniel Massie, and its name was derived from a Shawnee word meaning “principal town.” Chillicothe served as capital of the Northwest Territory (1800–03), was incorporated as a city in 1802, and was twice the state capital (1803–10; 1812–16). The first state constitution was written there. Some of the state’s best-preserved prehistoric Indian earthworks are in the vicinity, including Hopewell Culture National Historical Park. The Ross County Historical Society Museum (housing Indian and pioneer relics) is in the city. Adena State Memorial (a stone mansion built by U.S. senator and Ohio governor Thomas Worthington in 1805–07) is nearby. The Chillicothe Gazette (1800), the oldest continuously published newspaper in Ohio, is housed in a replica of the first statehouse and maintains a museum of printing.

The city’s commercial activity, which is based mainly on the distribution of local farm produce, increased with the construction of the Ohio and Erie Canal (1831) and the Marietta and Cincinnati (now Baltimore and Ohio) Railroad (1852). Papermaking, a leading industry, began in 1812; other manufactures include heavy trucks and automotive parts. A branch campus (1946) of Ohio University is in Chillicothe. Pop. (2000) 21,796; (2010) 21,901.