Throughout history, the city of Dublin's rich, verdant land has attracted settlers and visitors alike. Native Americans first inhabited the area in the days before the US government gave Continental Army soldiers property along the banks of the Scioto River as payment for service in the Revolutionary War. Platted as a village in 1810, Dublin's early settlers included John Sells, who offered surveyor John Shields the privilege of naming the new settlement. Legend has it that the lush vegetation prompted Shields to bestow the name of his homeland: Dublin, Ireland. Dublin, Ohio, would remain a sleepy little burg until the 1960s and 1970s, when three major changes led to explosive growth: the construction of Interstate 270, the development of Jack Nicklaus's Muirfield Village Golf Club and residential neighborhood, and the arrival of Ashland, Inc. Today, Dublin is known as a golf mecca—home of the PGA Tour's Memorial Tournament—and an international corporate headquarters, with The Wendy's Company, Stanley Steemer, and Cardinal Health among its marquee businesses.
