The legislation establishing the Northwest Territory was passed by the United States Congress in 1787 before our Constitution had been ratified and when the country was still being governed by the Articles of Confederation. It established the area north of the Ohio River, south of the Great Lakes and East of the Mississippi River as an organized territory under the control of the national government rather than as a westward expansion of the existing states. The 150th anniversary of this event was celebrated in Gallipolis in 1937.

The two photos below were contributed by Carolyn Roderick