Skip to main content

The National Road - Ohio - Cambridge to Zanesville

Image
By
Just west of Cambridge is another of the numerous stone arch 'S' bridges in Ohio.  Built around 1828, the bridge crosses over Peters Creek and is now part of a South Bridge Park.

The Peters Creek 'S' bridge still in use in 1933 (A.S. Burns / Library of Congress)
The Peters Creek S bridge a little overgrown in the early 2000s. (Bee Family)
Continuing west on US 40 and just east of New Concord, another 'S' bridge stands just off of the now heavily beaten path of Route 40.  The bridge is similar to ones located in Claysville and Cambridge; however, this particular bridge has been restored to magnificent condition.  The bridge is known as the Fox Creek 'S' Bridge.  Paved in brick, the bridge, located at the intersection of OH 83 and US 40, has a renewed life that future generations can enjoy.  The Fox Creek Bridge was the last segment of the National Road to be paved in brick in 1919. The National Road from Maryland to Illinois was paved in brick during the 1910s for military vehicles.

A side profile view of the Fox Creek 'S' Bridge. (Mike Kentner)
The Fox Creek Bridge is a striking contrast to modern US 40 nearby. (Mike Austing)
The restored Fox Creek 'S' Bridge and Park near New Concord. (Mike Austing)
New Concord is one of the numerous small Ohio towns along US 40.  It is the birthplace of American Hero, John Glenn, and the home the Muskies of Muskingum College.   
 
The old National Road enters Norwich. (Mike Kentner)
Americans have always been fascinated with travel, the west, and the stories from the two.  In the former stagecoach village of Norwich, The National Road/Zane Grey Museum celebrates this spirit.  The museum features stories about the National Road, the country first 'western route'.  It also documents the life and times of Zanesville native, Zane Grey, who is known as "The Father of the Adult Western."  Across the street from this 'must stop' museum is Baker's Motel.  The motel's original owner, L.B. Baker, donated the land that is now the site of the museum.   

Christopher C. Baldwin monument on Old US 40, Norwich, Ohio. (Mike Kentner)
Unfortunately, one of Norwich's claims to Ohio history is that it is the site of the first recorded traffic fatality in the state's history.  A monument and historical marker along the old highway marks the tragic event.  A plaque on the monument reads, "In Memory of Christopher C. Baldwin, librarian of the American Antiquarian Society Worcester, Mass., killed on this curve Aug. 20, 1835, by the overturning of a stage coach.  This being the first traffic accident on record in this state."  The tablet was placed in Baldwin's honor in 1925, 90 years after his death, by a local Boy Scout Troop.

Leaving Norwich from the west, the old National Pike follows Brick Road.  Here for about a mile, the old highway holds onto its early 20th century heritage as a brick road
Mike Kentner

Mike Kentner
 
Mike Kentner


Mike Kentner

On an old alignment just west of Norwich, the former National Road goes over a stone arch bridge.  This arch bridge appears to be of the same design as those of the famous 'S' bridges built along the highway in the early 1800s.
A stone arch bridge found on a former alignment of the National Road west of Norwich.  (Mike Kentner)


A stone arch bridge found on a former alignment of the National Road west of Norwich.  (Mike Kentner)
One of the oldest cemeteries along the National Road is in Zanesville.  The Greenwood Cemetery was built by the city in 1835.  Originally named 'City Cemetery' until 1885, numerous politicians and other well known local citizens have been buried here.  The stone-arch which serves as the entrance way to the grounds has been standing since 1887.

The over 130 year old arched entrance to Zanesville's Greenwood Cemetery (Mike Austing)

Site Navigation:
Sources & Links:
  • The Bee Family
  • Mike Austing
  • Mike Kentner
Labels:

Comments

Anonymous said…
John Glenn was BORN in Cambridge! His family moved to New Concord soon after.
8:49 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Morgan Territory Road

By
Morgan Territory Road is an approximately 14.7-mile-long roadway mostly located in the Diablo Range of Contra Costa County, California.  The roadway is named after settler Jerimah Morgan who established a ranch in the Diablo Range in 1857.  Morgan Territory Road was one of several facilities constructed during the Gold Rush era to serve the ranch holdings.   The East Bay Regional Park District would acquire 930 acres of Morgan Territory in 1975 in an effort to establish a preserve east of Mount Diablo. The preserve has since been expanded to 5,324 acres. The preserve functionally stunts the development along roadway allowing it to remain surprisingly primitive in a major urban area. Part 1; the history of Morgan Territory Road During the period of early period of American Statehood much of the Diablo Range of Contra Costa County was sparsely developed.   Jerimah Morgan acquired 2,000 acres of land east of Mount Diablo in 1856 and established a ranch in 1857. Morgan Territory Road is
2 comments
Read more

The 1915 Fine Gold Creek Bridge (Madera County)

By
The 1915 Fine Gold Creek Bridge is an early era arch concrete structure found alongside modern Madera County Road 200.  The structure was modeled as a smaller scale of the 1905 Pollasky Bridge (still in ruins at the San Joaquin River) and was one of many early twentieth century improvements to what was then known as the Fresno-Fresno Flats Road.  The 1915-era bridge was replaced with a modernized concrete span during 1947 but was never demolished.  The original concrete structure can be still found sitting in the brush north of the 2023 Fine Gold Creek Bridge.     Part 1; the history of the 1915 Fine Gold Creek Bridge The 1915 Fine Gold Creek Bridge lies near the site of the former mining community of Fine Gold.   Mining claims were staked at Fine Gold during the Mariposa War during 1850. The community was never very large but became a stopping point on the stage road between the original Fresno County seat at Millerton and Fresno Flats (now Oakhurst). The stage road eventually bypas
Post a Comment
Read more

San Francisco's Broadway Tunnel

By
The Broadway Tunnel in San Francisco is a structure at Russian Hill which connects the neighborhood Chinatown to North Beach. The tunnel was included in the 1948 San Francisco Trafficways Plan as a connector between the Central Freeway and Embarcadero Freeway. The structure was completed in December 1952 and spans 1,616 feet through Russian Hill. The Broadway Tunnel was designated as the Robert C. Levy Tunnel in 1986. Part 1; the history of the Broadway Tunnel Following the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in 1848 San Francisco would see a major population boom.  The city would expand from the shores of San Francisco Bay inland towards the many steep hills.  The hills of San Francisco would prove to be a major hinderance towards the expansion of city.  Roads were generally plotted over the tops of hillsides and had steep grades.  Russian Hill in particular was one of the steepest and contained numerous streets with grades in excess of twenty percent.  Broadway can be seen cros
Post a Comment
Read more