Editing Athens, Ohio (section)

== History ==
[[File:College Edifice.jpg|thumb|left|upright|The [[Manasseh Cutler Hall|College Edifice]] was the first building of higher education in the [[Northwest Territory]]]]

The first permanent European settlers arrived in Athens in 1797,<ref>{{cite book|title=The Pioneers|last1=McCullough|first1=David|publisher=Simon & Schuster|year=2019|isbn=978-1501168680}}</ref> more than a decade after the United States victory in the [[American Revolutionary War]]. In 1800, the town site was first surveyed and plotted and incorporated as a village in 1811. Ohio had become a state in 1803. [[Ohio University]] was chartered in 1804, the first public institution of higher learning in the [[Northwest Territory]]. Previously part of [[Washington County, Ohio]], Athens County was formed in 1805, [[List of Ohio county name etymologies|named]] for the ancient center of learning, [[Athens]], Greece.

Ohio University in Athens was established with the first federal endowment of an educational institution in the United States. In July 1787, the [[Congress of the Confederation]] gave to the [[Ohio Company of Associates]] "two townships of good land for the support of a literary institution" in the newly created [[Northwest Territory]].<ref name="Knight, George W. History and Management of Federal Land Grants for Education in the Northwest Territory">Knight, George W. ''History and Management of Federal Land Grants for Education in the Northwest Territory'', ''The Papers of the American Historical Association,'' Volume 1. New York & London: G. P. Putnam's Sons, The Knickerbocker Press (1886)</ref>

During The First Session of the Second Territorial General Assembly, held in Chillicothe from November 23, 1801, to January 23, 1802, the General Assembly passed an act establishing the "American Western University" at Athens. The act was approved by Arthur St. Clair, Governor of the Northwest Territory on January 9, 1802.<ref name="The Biographical Annals of Ohio">''The Biographical Annals of Ohio, 1906-1907-1908: A Handbook of the Government and Institutions of the State''. Compiled Under the Authority of the Act of April 19, 1904, by A. P. Sandles, Clerk of the Senate, E. W. Doty, Clerk House of Representatives, 77th General Assembly. A revised and enlarged edition of ''Ohio Statesmen and Hundred Year Book'' by Col. W. A. Taylor (1892).</ref> However, no university with the name of American Western University would be established. Ohio became a state in 1803 and on February 18, 1804, the state legislature passed an act establishing the "Ohio University" in the town of Athens.<ref name="A Legal History of the Ohio University">''A Legal History of the Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, including Resolutions of Congress, Contracts, Territorial and State Enactments, Judicial Decisions, etc.'' Compiled and Published by Authority of the Board of Trustees. Columbus, O.: Cott & Hann, Book Printers (1881)</ref> Athens received city status in 1912, following the 1910 census showing the population had passed 5,000 residents, the requirement for city status in Ohio.

Originally, large tracts of land in Athens and Alexander Townships were set aside through a contract between the Congress (under the Articles of Confederation) and the Ohio Company of Associates, a group of [[American Revolutionary War]] veterans. These lands were given to Ohio University by the Federal government. This was the first federal land grant for a university, pre-dating the [[Morrill Act]] by more than 70 years. At first, lands were mostly leased out, but the failure of many lessors to pay their rents resulted in most of the land being sold. The sale of these lands funded the growth of Ohio University. Today it is one of the largest institutions of higher learning in Ohio, with an enrollment of over 20,000 on the Athens campus and over 28,000 for all campuses.

The earliest industry in the area was salt production, followed by iron production and coal extraction. The largest employer in the county is Ohio University. In 1843, the [[Hocking Canal]] opened, enabling shipping from the Ohio River up the [[Hocking River]], which passes through Athens, to [[Nelsonville, Ohio]], and points beyond. However, the canal was closed during cold winters when it froze over.

[[File:Athens Lunatic Asylum Fountain.jpg|thumb|Fountain at [[Athens Lunatic Asylum|The Ridges]]]]

The first [[railroad]] reached Athens in 1857. In the late 19th century, an interurban line opened between Athens and Nelsonville and operated for some years. The [[Athens Lunatic Asylum]], later named the Athens State Hospital, opened in 1874. This was on high ground to the south of town and to the south of the Hocking River. In the late 19th century the hospital was the town's largest employer. The state hospital was eventually decommissioned and the property was deeded to Ohio University. It is now known as [[Athens Lunatic Asylum|The Ridges]]. Much of the building space has been renovated for offices and research space or demolished, and most of the grounds have been set aside as open space, including a [[land lab]].

In 1904, the [[United States Army|U. S. Army]] and the Ohio [[United States National Guard|National Guard]] conducted joint training exercises near the city. Multiple US army regulars became drunk and were arrested by National Guard Provosts for causing disturbances. The arrests angered the regulars; on Friday a large contingent set out from camp to free an arrested comrade. The armed regulars were stopped by provosts and the ensuing quarrel quickly escalated into a shoot-out on Washington Street, during which one guardsman was killed and five others were wounded.<ref>{{cite news|title=War on the Streets of Athens|newspaper=The Athens Messenger|date=25 August 1905}}</ref><ref>{{cite interview |last = Moore |first = Cyrus |interviewer = Ron Luce |title = The Battle of Athens |work = Conversations from Studio B |publisher = [[WOUB-FM]] |date = October 16, 2011 |location = Athens, Ohio |url = http://woub.org/2011/10/13/battle-athens}}</ref>

By 1935, Athens was known as a coal and fruit-producing region and a state center of higher education and psychiatric care. The major manufactured goods included stoves, lumber, parquetry flooring, caskets, and flooring.<ref name="The Columbia Encyclopedia">"The Columbia Encyclopedia" New York: Columbia University Press (1935)</ref>

The university (and in turn, the city) saw large growth during the post-World War Two era and again during the Vietnam War era. Growth slowed in the 1980s with small increases in growth into present times.