Canal Winchester, Ohio, United States

🇺🇸 Canal Winchester is a city in Fairfield and Franklin counties in the U.S. state of Ohio.

History Canal Winchester was founded in 1828 by Reuben Dove and John Colman. When construction of the Ohio & Erie Canal came through Dove's wheat field, he wanted to sue the state. The canal workmen instead convinced him that he would be better off laying out a town, because the area was midway between Columbus and Lancaster. On November 4, 1828, Dove and Colman recorded the first plat for Winchester, Ohio, in Violet Township, Fairfield County. Dove named the village after his father's hometown of Winchester, Virginia.

Winchester flourished because of agriculture and transportation. The Ohio and Erie Canal brought passengers, freight and a means to transport grain to market. In 1869, the railroad came to Canal Winchester, bringing continued prosperity.

Festivals Canal Winchester hosts a Labor Day Festival the first weekend of September. There are rides, musical entertainment, food, a beer tent and games. There is a parade on Monday, Labor Day at 1 PM. During the first weekend of August the town holds the Blues and Ribs fest bringing blues artists and rib vendors from all over the country. The first weekend in December the city hosts Christmas in the Village, a Holiday themed festival with food, choirs, a gingerbread house contest, ice sculptors, family activities and horse-drawn buggy rides.

Landmarks Highlights of the area include Historic Downtown Canal Winchester, Mid-Ohio Doll and Toy Museum, The National Barber's Museum and National Barber Hall of Fame, Slate Run Vineyard and Winery, the US Headquarters of Scottish brewing company Brewdog, the Brewdog beer hotel, and the many antique shops in the Village.

Education New elementary schools, a new wing of the high school, and a new middle school have all been built since 2000.

Canal Winchester High School's mascot is the Indians, and their colors are maroon and white. The high school offers many college prep and AP courses. The school is best known for its football, wrestling, basketball, cross country, cheerleading, track, and volleyball teams, all of which compete at the Division 1 level. The baseball team was back-to-back state runner-up from 2008 to 2009. In recent years the school has produced two Wendy's High School Heisman State Finalists, Greg Guiler and Andy Rhinehart; the award recognizes the state's best high school student athletes. The soccer team have seen success, with two district titles (2013, 2014), and one OCC Cardinal Division title (2014). Notable alumni include NBA player Byron Mullens of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and MLB player Drew Dosch, class of 2010, of the Baltimore Orioles.