Local History : columbus 1912
At the time of Titanic’s maiden voyage, Columbus was celebrating the centennial of its founding in 1812, when the area—then dense forest—was chosen by the Ohio General Assembly for the new state capital.
Due to several waves of immigrants— mostly Irish and Germans—and a booming manufacturing industry, Columbus had grown from a small town of just over 3,500 people in 1834 (when it was first chartered as a city) to a rapidly growing, industrial hub of nearly 200,000 residents in
1912. Titanic carried 55 passengers with destinations set for Ohio.
Only New York awaited more of Titanic’s immigrants than Midwestern states, including
Ohio.
Steel was among the prominent manufacturing industries in Columbus, particularly the Buckeye Steel Castings Company. In 1908, Frank Rockefeller— brother of oil magnate John D. Rockefeller—passed on his position of company president to Samuel Bush, who quickly became known as a prominent industrialist who also had political influence in Washington, D.C. The brewing, furniture, farm machinery, and shoe and cigar industries were also major players in Columbus’ business scene. Yet, one of the city’s greatest industries—the manufacturing of buggies—was on the decline. At one time Columbus had 23 buggy companies including the country’s largest, the Columbus Buggy Company. The city boasted itself as the “Buggy Capital of the World.” With the advent of the automobile, however, the buggy business was soon to become a thing of the past.
Columbus’ boundaries were also expanding at the time, due in large part to the Interurban Electric Railway. These electrically powered, tramlike cars were favored over steam railroad engines for short-distance passenger travel and transporting local freight. They allowed workers to live farther out from the city, but still be able to commute to work easily. The interurban rail service had been established in 1891, but each line had its own terminal, making it difficult for passengers to change lines. In 1912 the interurban station, from which nearly all the lines would operate, was completed at the northwest corner of Rich and Third Streets, making electric rail travel even easier. But, just as the buggy industry was supplanted by the automobile, so too were the days of the electric rail car numbered because of the increased use of cars. By 1938, the interurban line was discontinued.
The Ohio State University was also rapidly expanding during this time, especially with master’s and doctoral student enrollments. Their Graduate School formed in 1912, which was also the year Ohio State joined the Big Ten athletic conference. The Buckeyes football team finished their inaugural Big Ten season at 6–3, behind conference champion Wisconsin.
In semi-professional football, the Columbus Panhandles played in the Ohio League, a prominent regional league in the days before professional football. The Panhandles would later be one of the founding members of the American Professional Football Association (renamed the National Football League for the 1922 season). The first game featuring both teams from that Association was held on October 3, 1920, with the Columbus
Panhandles playing at a 14-0 loss to the Dayton Triangles. Although their facilities at 136 East Broad Street were not finished until 1915, the Columbus Athletic Club was formed in 1912.