Columbus Neighborhoods

I am so excited about the upcoming series of documentaries that will chronicle the history of major Columbus Neighborhoods over the span of 2 years. The first one, all about the Short North, airs Monday the 8th at 8pm. It not only includes the High St corridor, but also Fly Town, Harrison West, Italian Village, etc. The series will also explore King-Lincoln, University District, German Village, and will culminate on Valentine's day 2012 (the 200th Birthday of the settlement!) with the special on Franklinton/Downtown.

I can't wait for the last one in particular. I am about to become a full-fledged citizen of the oldest neighborhood in Columbus, and I really want to know the intricacies of how it went from Lucas Sullivant's baby to ghetto in 200 years. On a walk last summer, Tom and I discovered (with the help of google satillite of all things) the oldest cemetary in Franklin county: The Old Franklinton Cemetary. Most of the grave stones were weathered smooth, broken into pieces, and displaced from their original site but this guy Gary Royer did a lot of research and work on it and it is an amazing place to visit. They have a memorial made of patio stones with the people known to be buried there and their dates. They have several Revolutionary War soldiers there, as well as soldiers from the War of 1812 and the Civil War. Anyway, seeing all of these people whose last names are streets all over the city just made me absolutely hungry for any history on the area.

This is why I want to go back in time - not to fix my own mistakes, but to speak to the pioneers of the area and really fully understand the social and political happenings and hardships. I would love to be able to see it with my own eyes!