MyMidOhio - Video: The Heart Of Mansfield

The surveyors who laid out Mansfield came here already knowing what it's county seat should look like.

They were from New England, who's idea of a town was based on the tradition of a public square that all the citizens held in common.

And every burg in colonial America had a commons, from little village greens to massive public squares. It's a concept that came from Europe where public markets were set aside in every kingdom and started in ancient Greece where democracy was born.

So when democracy was transplanted to the Ohio frontier in 1808 Mansfield had its square, specifically designated as the civic center. It was first cleared during the war of 1812 to protect the settlement and as the lot grew around it .....

Video produced by: Timothy McKee