with the medical colleges, Columbus reputedly had the largest insane asylum in the world, with approximately 1,300 patients. It also supported an "Asylum for Feeble-Minded Youth," a "Blind Asylum," and a "Deaf and Dumb Asylum." The Ohio Penitentiary was also located in the capital and housed about 1,400 people by the late 1800s.

By the mid-nineteenth century, industry had begun to emerge in the Columbus area, growing quickly in the years following the Civil War. Columbus' industrial development benefited from the nearby transportation systems as well as the city's position as the state capital. By the 1880s, there were almost two hundred factories in operation, with fifty-eight of them employing at least forty people apiece. These industries included factories manufacturing shoes, cigars, farm tools and machinery, furniture, carriages, andbrooms; iron manufacturers and foundries; and brewing companies established by German migrants. The most important breweries in the city included the Schlee Brewery and the Hoster Brewery. Another major employer was the Columbus Buggy Company. Originally known as the Iron Buggy Company, by the late 1800s, this business could produce one buggy every eight minutes. It claimed to be the largest producer of buggies in the world.

Despite this industrial growth, Columbus was not the state's largest city. The community's population soared during the Civil War. Camp Chase, located in Columbus, served as a training encampment for Northern soldiers before they embarked for the South. Camp Chase also included a prison camp for captured Confederate soldiers also operated at Camp Chase. This population increase lasted for only the duration