The Historic Bottoms and Meeler’s Hill

The Historic Bottoms and Meeler’s Hill

At the end of the Civil War, housing for newly freed African Americans was concentrated on the eastern edge (or East Commons) of the original city. Over time, randomly arranged shotguns houses for workers and washwomen appeared in the low-lying land around Weracoba Creek at the bottom of Wynn’s Hill. Such housing, characterized as jumbled shanties, expanded eastward downhill of the Wynnton suburbs. Meeler’s Hill, for example, lay on the slope beneath Overlook. The first project to meliorate this slum came at the foot of Wynnton Road during World War II. Federal and local funding—supplemented by contributions from Columbus business leaders—built Warren Williams Homes. In 1953, redevelopment began on Meeler’s Hill and the area farther to the east. That effort created George F. Rivers Homes and Theo J. McGee Park, which included rental and sales units. Today, many of the houses in this area show obvious pride of ownership.