Merion Village

Side A: Merion Village was named for the Nathaniel Merion family, who in 1809 settled what is now the South Side of Columbus on 1800 acres of the Refugee Lands. Entrepreneur William Merion operated “Merion’s Landing” in the 1830s to capitalize on the canal trade from the Columbus Feeder Canal. This area saw a large influx of German immigrants as the South Side industrialized in the mid-nineteenth century. Later, many Irish, Italian, and eastern European immigrants who worked in the local steel mills and foundries made their homes here. Side B: Many of the homes in Merion Village date from an early-1900s building boom as the “Steelton” area to the south became a manufacturing center. Homes, churches, schools, and stores quickly rose on farmland and other undeveloped land between the mills and the near South Side. Streetcars ran down Parsons Avenue and Fourth Street. This park is the former site of the Moeller Homestead, which stood adjacent to Moeller’s Elevator Works factory, both now demolished. The Moeller family were early South Side residents. The City of Columbus dedicated Moeller Park in 1993.