Why Circleville?
In January of 1810, the Ohio Legislature erected the County of Pickaway. On February 19, the legislature appointed three prominent citizens, David Bradford, George Jackson, and John Pollack, as commissioners to select a suitable county seat. For reasons lost to time, they decided on a densely wooded area of a Mound builder’s ancient fortification. The fortification was a circle and its adjacent square and the town were laid out around the center of the circle. An octagonal courthouse was built in the center of the circle and 8 streets radiated out from this area. By the late 1830s, the town had quickly outgrown the original boundary, and plans were made to square the town, which was completed in the 1860s.