About Pickerington

In the early days, before the coming of the Europeans, Native Americans lived in what is now Violet Township. They were mostly Wyandottes, but there were other tribes such as Shawnees and Mingos.With the signing of the Treaty of Greenville in 1795, the Native Americans relinquished their possession and moved to Sandusky.

Fairfield County was formally organized in 1800 and was part of the Northwest Territory.In the extreme northwest corner of the county is Violet Township, incorporated in 1808. Because of the profusion of purple violets found blooming in the area, the name “Violet” was selected as being most descriptive and appropriate for the new township.

In 1811, James Looker of Rockingham County, Virginia, bought at a public land sale land in Violet Township, including that on which Pickerington now stands. He never lived on his newly-acquired acres, but his children did, building log houses along the banks of Sycamore Creek. One of Mr. Looker’s daughters, Ann, was the wife of Abraham Pickering. The Pickerings built a log home in what is now Sycamore Creek Park, which is no longer standing.

Mr. Pickering decided to establish a town, so he bought some extra land from his father-in-law. Surveyors were hired and the town was laid out. Mr. Pickering reserved three lots: one for a cemetery, one for educational purposes and one for a Methodist Church. Other lots were sold, log houses were erected and a trading post was established, but for quite some time the little town had no name.

The early settlers found in every direction woods which abounded in wild animal life. There were panthers, wildcats, bears, pigeons and owls, as well as turtles and fish in the streams. Wild turkeys were so plentiful that they came to the cabin doors, and venison could be enjoyed every day.

By 1865 there were 37 buildings in Pickerington, some of which are still standing. In 1881 Pickerington was incorporated as a village. The “village fathers” found themselves beset with many problems, and the first ordinance passed provided for the levying of taxes. Other ordinances provided for peace and quiet in the village, set down rules for sanitation and forbade resisting an officer, mistreating animals, using profane or vulgar language on the streets or disrupting a public meting. Those found guilty of disobeying the law were sent to the Columbus Workhouse or kept in the village jail and fed on bread and water. Mr. Douglas Phillips was the village’s first constable and served for 34 years.
Before the installation of natural gas, the streets were lighted by kerosene lamps placed on poles around town. The lamplighters were paid $100 per year for their services. The town pump stood beneath the large maple tree in front of the store of John Henry Shoemaker. Beneath the pump was a moss-covered trough where many would stop to water their horses. The maple tree is still standing.

Labor day 1916 was a memorable occasion, for on that day the new library was dedicated making Pickerington the smallest town in the United Stated having a Carnegie Library.
Several natives of Pickerington have achieved fame. Among them are the following: Senator Arthur R. Robinson of Indiana who was prominently mentioned as a “dark horse” candidate on the Republican ticket for President of the United States in 1932; Earl Lonza Moor who, playing for Cleveland, pitched the first no-hit game in the American League on May 9, 1901; and John Newman Hizey, educated in Germany, who became a noted concert violinist. James J. Jeffries, heavyweight champion of the world from 1899 to 1905, spent his childhood in Violet Township near the town of Lockville.
The citizens of Pickerington have always taken great pride in their churches, schools, homes and institutions and it is the sincere desire and hope of all to maintain these high standards that our town will remain, as it has been and as it is now, “the greatest of them all.” The first settlers in the attractive, growing community that is now Pickerington, arrived in the area in 1808. In 1815, Abraham Pickering laid out the original plat of old Pickerington. One hundred fifty years later relatively few people lived in the area, and Pickerington slumbered as an agricultural and dairy community, seemingly distant from both the county seat, Lancaster, and the state capital, Columbus.

The growth and prosperity since 1965 have forever changed Pickerington from an old country village to a major city in northwest Fairfield County. Equidistant between Lancaster and Columbus, today’s Pickerington is both a Columbus suburban community and a transition zone leading to agricultural and open spaces to the east and southeast. The City’s population as estimated by the Mid Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) for 2006 was 13,573. The unincorporated Violet Township estimated population (excluding Pickerington and Columbus) was approximately 19,264.

As a result of reaching an official population of over 5,000 persons, Pickerington was certified as a city by the Ohio Secretary of State in 1991. Pickerington is the second largest city in Fairfield County and is second in size only to Lancaster.

An official Pickerington seal, designed by local resident Nancy Brackbill, was adopted in 1989 and gradually replaced other symbols as the official Pickerington identification. The seal appears on the cover of the Annual Report and Annual Budget, identifies city vehicles, and is used on all City correspondence and publications. In 1996 the City was designated as by the Ohio Legislature as the “Violet Capital of Ohio.”

The Municipal Charter, which was enacted in 1980, set up a Mayor-Council-Manager form of government. The Charter was amended by the voters in 1990, and again in 2000. The Mayor is elected by popular vote, performs ceremonial functions, recommends appointment of and acts as supervisor of, the City Manager, is presiding officer of Council, is an ex-officio member of all Council Committees, appoints the Clerk of Court, may veto Council-passed legislation.
The popularly elected seven member City Council is the legislative body and possesses exclusive appropriations powers. Council appoints the Law Director, Finance Director, City Engineer, and concurs on the Mayor’s appointment of the City Manager. Council also makes citizen appointments to several boards and commissions. There are four standing Council Committees which Council appoints: Finance, Rules, Safety, and Service.
The City Manager is the chief administrator of the City, is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the municipality and municipal employees and appoints all employees not appointed by Council.

Growth management issues continue to dominate the public agenda. Elected officials as well as citizens of the area hold strong and varying views regarding housing density, growth of industrial and commercial areas, transportation, residential growth, and provisions of utility services, comprehensive planning, annexation by Pickerington and other cities, and ultimate appropriate area growth.

Information from www.wikipedia.org.

Pickerington Sports

Pickerington Soccer

Pickerington Schools

HISTORY of PLSD
HISTORY OF PICKERINGTON SCHOOLS The legacy of the Pickerington Local School District begins in Violet Township with the Ordinance of 1785. This ordinance set aside land for school purposes. At one time Violet Township was home to 19 one to two room schools spread across the township. The bulk of these schools later became combined into the Pickerington Local School District.
The first documented school in the Pickerington area was in 1812. It is believed that the log cabin housing the school may have been a settler’s cabin used on Sundays for church and school during the week. In 1815 Abraham Pickering, whom the City of Pickerington is named after, donated a plot of land to be used for educational purposes. The Pickerington School House was built on this land, and in 1883, a new two-story, two room school was built to replace the original building. According to census data, in 1895 The Pickerington School educated 105 students. This site today is home to the Pickerington and Violet Township Historical Society, 15 E. Columbus Street.
The Violet Township Board of Education was created in 1905 as the first step in unification of the area schools. After two years of hard work, a charter from the state was in hand and the process for financing a building program was in place. Construction of the new Violet Township High School began in February of 1907. The building would have six rooms plus a basement at a cost of $15,000. The VTHS class of 1909 was the first to graduate from this new school with a graduating class of four. In 1939 Violet Township Schools became Pickerington Local Schools and VTHS became Pickerington High School a year later.
Driven by a dynamic and caring staff, Pickerington Local Schools has grown from a shared one-room school in a log cabin to 11 modern facilities educating over 10,000 students making it the 18th largest school district in Ohio. The Ohio Secretary of State certified Pickerington as a city in 1991. At 11.1 square miles, Pickerington is the second largest city in Fairfield County. The City of Pickerington, located just east of Columbus, Ohio, offers a combination of city amenities and small town friendliness. The city features a historic downtown shopping area, while Violet Township is home to rolling hills, forest and fields.

Pickerington is the 8th fastest growing school systems in Ohio.

Pickerington North Panthers

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Pickerington Tigers

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