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Franklin County Engineer

As a local public works agency headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, the Franklin County Engineer's Office is responsible for the maintenance and construction of 271 miles of county roadway and 351 county bridges, as well as upkeep of all county ditches, drains, retention basins, and other storm water facilities within the right-of-way of county roads in unincorporated areas. To meet the continuing development and infrastructure needs of Franklin County, the Engineer's Office utilizes the latest technologies for determining and maintaining roadway centerlines and boundaries; retracing and setting new monuments for original public land surveys; preparing geographic information system mapping for real estate tax assessments; and establishing precise countywide horizontal and vertical control to maintain uniformity in construction, surveying, and mapping.
Franklin County Engineer
Franklin County Engineer
This morning, Engineer Fowler and #TeamFCEO hosted our Intern and Summer Help Networking Event where participants had the opportunity to connect with one another and hear from FCEO staff as they shared their diverse career paths, including a wide range of disciplines and professional experiences prior to joining FCEO. It was a valuable morning of learning, conversation, and inspiration. We’re proud to invest in the next generation entering the workforce as they explore meaningful and rewarding career paths.
Franklin County Engineer
Franklin County Engineer
The Franklin County Fair kicks off Monday, July 14, 2025. Join us on opening day for County Engineer Adam W. Fowler Day! Bring your family and friends to celebrate, help us paint a snowplow, and enjoy hands-on fun for all ages. We can’t wait to see you there!
Franklin County Engineer
Franklin County Engineer
Beach Road, west of Amity Road, is closed for bridge maintenance work. The closure will last approximately ninety (90) days, weather permitting.
Franklin County Engineer
Franklin County Engineer
Harrisburg-Georgesville Road over Big Darby Creek, between London-Groveport Road and Opossum Run Road, is closed for bridge rehabilitation work. The closure will last approximately one-hundred eighty (180) days, weather permitting.
Franklin County Engineer
Franklin County Engineer
Eiterman Road over South Fork Indian Run, between Post Road and Bobcat Way, will be closed beginning Monday, July 14, 2025, to replace and widen the existing bridge to accommodate the future build-out of the Dublin throughfare plan. The closure will last approximately ninety (90) days, weather permitting.
Franklin County Engineer
Franklin County Engineer
Winchester Pike over Coble & Bowman Ditch, between Shannon Road and Bachman Road, will be closed beginning Monday, July 14, 2025, to widen the roadway and replace the existing culvert. The closure will last approximately sixty (60) days, weather permitting.
Franklin County Engineer's Office
970 DUBLIN ROAD
COLUMBUS, OHIO 43215
(614) 525-3030
fracoeng@franklincountyengineer.org

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Surveyor’s Journal Entry Two

Surveyor’s Journal Entry Two

The Land Ordinance of 1785 and “The Point of Beginning”

Following Great Britain’s relinquishment of the Northwest Territory (area north of the Ohio River and west of the Appalachian Mountains) at the end of the American Revolution, the Congress of the Confederation sought to open the new territory for settlement by passing the Land Ordinance of 1785.

The legislation established the first national survey standards that enabled the legal measurement, division, and sale of more than 260,000 square miles of public land across modern-day Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and eastern Minnesota.

Since Congress, at the time, did not yet have the authority to directly tax the citizenry, the sale of public land was a viable way to generate funding for the government.

Under the leadership of Surveyor Thomas Hutchins, the first congressionally appointed “Geographer of the United States,” the new territory was to be surveyed using the “rectangular system” developed by Hutchins while on a British military expedition to the modern-day Coshocton County area, commanded by Colonel Henry Bouquet, in 1764. It called for land to be surveyed into squares, 24 miles in diameter, bounded by east and west base lines and north and south meridian lines. These squares were then to be divided into four squares, six miles in diameter, and designated as “Townships.” A township could then be subdivided into 36 sections of one square mile (640 acres) that could be subdivided for sale to land companies and settlers.

On September 30, 1785, Hutchins set “The Point of Beginning” for the survey of western America on the north shore of the Ohio River near modern-day East Liverpool, Ohio. He then ran a line 42 miles west over the hills of modern-day Columbiana and Carroll Counties, that became known as the “Geographer’s Line.” At each mile, a post was set and witness-trees were marked. Every sixth mile was considered a town corner from which a line was run south down to the Ohio River. These lines were marked every six miles for the east-west base lines, which resulted in seven rows or “ranges” of Ohio’s first townships.