Cleveland obtained its name on July 22,
1796 when surveyors of the Connecticut Land Company laid out Connecticut's
Western Reserve into townships and a capital city they named "Cleaveland"
after their leader, General Moses Cleaveland. Cleaveland oversaw the plan for
what would become the modern downtown area, centered on Public Square, before
returning home, never again to visit Ohio. The first settler in Cleaveland was
Lorenzo Carter, who built a cabin on the banks of the Cuyahoga River. The
Village of Cleaveland was incorporated on December 23, 1814. In spite of the
nearby swampy lowlands and
