Canal Winchester

Henry Dove, of Virginia, was granted a quarter section (160 acres) of land in Canal Winchester, Ohio, around 1802 and moved his family there in 1811. Prior to his death, Dove divided his land equally between his two sons, Reuben and Jacob. In 1827, the Ohio and Erie Canal was routed through Reuben Dove’s wheat field. After protesting the proposed canal route, Reuben threatened to sue the state. Canal workers suggested that Reuben plat a town and sell lots, and in 1828, Reuben–along with John Colman–did so. They named the town Winchester, since Reuben’s father had lived in Winchester, Virginia. Benefiting from the area’s fertile soil, canal, railroad, interurban, and roadways, Canal Winchester, Ohio, would grow and thrive as an agricultural community.