Mingo Estates Civic Association

Mingo Estates Civic Association

The History of Mingo Estates

Ohio had been Indian country, off and on, for centuries. It is believed there were several Mingo Indian villages on the site of Columbus, and on the banks of the Scioto River. Many other Indian tribes such as the Iroquois, Delaware, Ottawa, Miami, Tuscarora, Shawnee, and others roamed the Ohio forests.


The news of the vast and vacant land with its temperate climate, Bountiful game, plateaus, plains, forests, and waterways was related by the early fur traders. As droves of settlers came into the rich and beautiful Ohio Valley, the Indian tribes lost their land and were forced to migrate westward.


In 1798, Congress granted a 50,000 acre tract, running east from the Scioto River to British in Canada and Nova Scotia in appreciation for the help they had given colonists during the Revolutionary War. Parts of Perry, Fairfield, Licking, and Franklin counties, including the State capitol and a large section of Columbus, are located in the tract. About half of the land was claimed and the rest sold at auction at the Chillicothe land office.


Congress passed a bill entitled An Act Providing For The Sale Of The Lands Of The Unites States In The Territory Northwest Of The Ohio, And Above The Mouth Of The Kentucky River. Thomas W. Jefferson was the President of the United States when Richard Ritter (also referred to as Rutter) purchased the northwest quarter of Lot or Section Number 4, Township Number 15, Range Number 20. This purchase was made on January 15, 1808, by a Patent Deed at the land office at Chillicothe. The land was situated in the State of Ohio, and later became known as County of Fairfield, and in the township of Violet.


This tract of land remained farmland until it was purchased for the purpose of subdivision by Mingo Estates, incorporated in 1959.


The history of Pickerington dates back to 1811 when James Looker, from Virginia, bought the area where the village is now located. His son-in-law, Abraham Pickering, bought land and laid out the village and named it Jacksonville, in honor of General Andrew Jackson.


Twelve years later, residents of the village decided to honor the founder and petitioned the Ohio Legislature to rename it Pickerington. The name became official in 1827.


Early settlers found violets growing profusely in the fields and gave the township the name of Violet.


The official date for Ohio’s statehood is March 1, 1803.