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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
#TeamFCEO supports Baltimore, MD after the devastating collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. We commend the swift actions of the bridge authorities and first responders. Our sincere condolences are with those in mourning following this tragic event. #baltimorestrong
Franklin County Engineer
Franklin County Engineer
Lockbourne Road is closed at London-Groveport Road (SR 317) for utility improvements. The road will be closed for approximately two weeks, weather permitting
Franklin County Engineer
Franklin County Engineer
We joined Como Elementary School again this year for their Passion and Purpose Career Day. The kids enjoyed exploring our vehicles and learning about our office. Thank you, Como Elementary, for hosting another successful event!
Franklin County Engineer
Franklin County Engineer
Frost Avenue between Mix Avenue and Emmit Avenue is closed due to an emergency repair on a retaining wall. The road will remain closed for two to three weeks or until the repair is completed.
Franklin County Engineer
Franklin County Engineer
In honor of Women’s History Month, we would like to recognize Judith Resnik, Engineer & NASA Astronaut, who was the fourth woman, second American woman, and first Jewish woman to fly in space. #womenshistorymonth
Franklin County Engineer
Franklin County Engineer
As we conclude another Surveyors Week, it's always great to recap with the basics. Check out this video to learn why land surveying is vital to shaping our communities.

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.