SPRINGFIELD, a city of Ohio, U S.A., the county seat of Clark county; 45 m. W.S.W. of Columbus, on Lagonda creek, near the Mad river. It is on Federal highway 4o ; has a municipal airport ; and is served by the Big Four, the Detroit, Toledo and Ironton, the Erie, the Pennsylvania and electric railways, and by motor-bus and truck lines in all directions. Pop. (1920) 60,840 (12% negroes) ; in 1930 it was 68,743. The city occupies 11.7 sq.m. of undulating land, reaching an altitude of 98o feet. On hills north of the creek are Wittenberg college (Lutheran; founded 1845), and the State homes of three fraternal orders: the Knights of Pythias (opened 1894), the Masons (1895), and the Odd Fellows (1898). Immediately west of the college campus is beautiful Ferncliff cemetery, in which stands a Soldiers' monu ment on top of a prehistoric mound. The city's parks cover 25o acres. Springfield is an important manufacturing, publishing and horticultural centre. Its 33 greenhouses have 1,500,000 sq.f t. of glass and produce 4,800,00o rose-plants in a year. There is a peony farm of 7o ac., and nurseries for ornamental shrubbery. The aggregate output of the city's factories, 1927, was valued at '$84,844,661. Among the leading products are agricultural imple
ments, metallic caskets, motor trucks, water wheels, playground equipment, piano plates, gas and steam engines and small motors. Bank debits in 1927 aggregated $287,232,000, and the city's assessed valuation was $119,472,220. Since 1914 it has operated under a commission-manager form of government. In 1799 Simon Kenton and a small party from Kentucky built a fort and 14 cabins 3 or 4 m. W. of Springfield's present limits. Later in the year James Demint settled on a hill overlooking Lagonda creek. In 1801 he engaged a surveyor to plat a town here, and soon after this Kenton's settlement was abandoned. Trouble from the Indians threatened the new town until 1807, when peace was more firmly established at a council held on a neighbouring hill, where Tecumseh was the principal speaker. In 1818, when Clark county was erected, Springfield was made the county seat. It was incorporated as a town in 1827, and in 1850, when the population was 5,108, was chartered as a city.