Worthington was settled in 1803 by a group of families from the Farmington River Valley of Connecticut and Massachusetts under the leadership of James Kilbourne. They platted a New England village of 164 lots around a central public square which today hosts summer band concerts and arts festivals. A monument honoring the 38 original proprietors stands in the northwest quadrant.
The "Old Worthington" business district is anchored by an 1808 commercial building built by Kilbourne, believed to be the oldest such building in continuous commercial use in Ohio. Facing the Village Green is St. John's Episcopal Church, the original 1831 building still used by the present congregation. Modern Worthington maintains its New England character and treasures its heritage by inviting visitors to take a walking tour of its proposed historic district, or visit one of the two museums maintained by the Worthington Historical Society.
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