new chapter 3: intrinsic qualities · 2016. 6. 8. · review of resources that fall into one or...

INTRODUCTION

The Intrinsic Qualities Inventory presents areview of resources that fall into one or more ofthe six “intrinsic qualities” that are consideredsignificant to All-American Road designation.These are: historic, scenic, cultural, natural,recreational, and archaeological. In order to bedesignated an All-American Road, potentialbyway routes should exhibit a predominance ofresources associated with at least one of theseintrinsic qualities, and preferably shouldcontain resources associated with multipleintrinsic qualities.The following report unques-tionably demonstrates the richness anddiversity of the resources that can be foundalong the Ohio National Road Scenic Byway.Despite its primary attraction as a historicfeature and the number of historic buildings,roadway segments, archaeological sites andother artifacts associated with the route’s past,the byway also provides visitors with stunningscenery,unique and renowned cultural facilities,pristine and ecologically diverse natural areas,and a wide array of opportunities for engagingin outdoor recreation and entertainment.

The scenic,cultural,natural,recreational and,toa certain extent, archaeological resources areemphasized in this report. A 1996 inventoryconducted by Gray & Pape, Inc. examined indetail historic and archaeological resourcesassociated with the National Road corridor.Theresults of this study are available as a separatedocument but have been integrated into theresource database and maps that are a part ofthis report and will be considered during thedevelopment of the management strategies. Inorder to avoid needless duplication, they are notdescribed at length here. Instead, a briefstatement on the historical significance of theroad and its related resources, along with a

description of the physiographic conditions thatset the stage for all that occurred along thebyway, are presented in Part I. Part IIsummarizes the remaining intrinsic qualitiesfound in the three easternmost counties(Belmont, Guernsey, and Muskingum). Likewise,Part III summarizes the intrinsic qualitiesfound in the central counties of Licking,Franklin and Madison, and Part IV summarizesthe intrinsic qualities found in the westerncounties of Clark, Miami, Montgomery andPreble.

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CHAPTER 3: INTRINSIC QUALITIES

THE HISTORIC AND PHYSIOGRAPHICCONTEXT

HISTORIC QUALITIES OF THE NATIONAL ROAD

In the state of Ohio, the initial segment of theroute that was officially known as the NationalRoad commenced on the west bank of the OhioRiver and continued along a corridor of 220miles, the longest segment of any of the sixstates that it runs though. As the first federallyplanned and funded highway in the country, theNational Road both literally and figurativelylinked the older and established Easterncommunities with the nascent and futuresettlements in the old Northwest Territory westand north of the Ohio River. Although theNational Road’s construction through Ohiopost-dated the earliest migration routes into theterritory and subsequent state and theestablishment of its most important cities, theroad’s impact on the architecture, settlementpatterns, and culture of the state is enduring.

The resources along the National Road/US 40 inOhio are associated with the significant historicthemes of settlement patterns, road building/maintenance technologies and administration,tourism and travel activities and services, andcommemorative efforts. These themes reflectthe road’s importance that spans its 175 years ofexistence.

Construction of the National Road in Ohiocommenced in 1825, a continuation of theoriginal route between Cumberland, Maryland,to the east side of the Ohio River at Wheeling,West Virginia. Unlike many of the state’s earlyroads, the National Road did not follow nativeAmerican trails.The strict east-west route of theNational Road was decreed by legislation andits destinations were the shortest routes to thestates’ capitals, rather than any traditionalunderstanding of the landforms it traversed.

The National Road was a major feat of

engineering and government funding. In Ohio,the right of way was cleared for 80 feet andpaved with 15 inches of crushed gravel in thefirst attempt at macadamization on thisthoroughfare. The approximately 70 miles ofthe National Road between Bridgeport andZanesville were completed in 1830, and wasAmerica’s first new road built in the McAdamtechnique, which specified various sizes of stonelaid in stratified layers. Many of its gracefulstone “S” bridges, devised to cross streams atright angles and minimize working of the stoneblocks, still remain as well as a remarkablenumber of original stone culverts. The signaturesignage along the road in Ohio, the sandstoneand concrete mile markers, also appear inplentiful numbers.

While a number of the communities the roadtravels through were already established by1825,the road strengthened their economic baseand was also the impetus for the settlement ofmany new pike towns. These pike towns servedstagecoach travelers and drovers through theirtaverns, drovers’ inns, wagon and blacksmithshops, and liveries, of which many examples arestill represented along the road. The physicaldevelopment of the towns along the NationalRoad was dominated by the Main Street modelof settlement. While a town’s location wasdictated by a variety of factors,their plans oftenconsisted of a principal street and either one ortwo parallel back streets. Main Street, theNational Road, acted as a town’s commercialand residential center while the back streetswere used by teamsters and drovers.

For many towns, the National Road was theimpetus for initial settlement and early growth,but the road’s influence was soon diminisheddue to the mid-nineteenth century rise of therailroads as the most desirable mode oftransportation and shipping.While the NationalRoad continued to serve as the towns’ MainStreet, it was little used for cross-state travel or

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O H I O N A T I O N A L R O A D S C E N I C B Y W A Y

for shipping. As its cross-state functiondeclined, so did the condition of the road. Thosecommunities that did not have an alternateconnection with the outside world, such as arailroad, canal, or other major road tended todecline as well, albeit abetting preservationthrough the lack of “progress”. The three majorcities on the road in Ohio, Zanesville, Columbus,and Springfield, were all established prior to theroad’s survey and construction, and not onlysurvived, but prospered during the road’slanguishing years in the late nineteenth century.The combination of diverse industries andtransportation networks through these citieshad more of an impact on these towns than thesingle factor of the National Road’s locationthrough their centers.

By the late nineteenth century overland routesacross the country were in a sad state ofdisrepair. This situation changed dramatically,however, in the years between 1880 and 1925,during which time many rural roads (and mosturban roads) were paved with some kind ofpatented surface. These improvements were dueto the combined efforts of numerous groups andindividuals, from bicyclists to farmers andnascent automobile industries. In the earlytwentieth century, the National Road in Ohiowas partially paved in brick to facilitate thetransport of war materiel during World War I.The treatment, resulting in numerous brick-

lined roads on the eastern side of the state, isregarded as one of the most evocative physicalelements of the road in Ohio. But even earlier, in1891, 16 miles of the road in Ohio were pavedwith concrete as an experiment in pavingsurfaces by the Federal government.

The National Road in Ohio was also part of anearly twentieth century movement to designatea coast-to-coast highway composed of “oldtrails” in the country. While short-lived as anentity, the National Old Trails Road iscommemorated by the 11 monumentalMadonna of the Trail statues along the route.The first of these statues was dedicated on July4, 1928, in Springfield, Clark County, by Judge(later President) Harry S.Truman.

By 1925 there were coast-to-coast highways inoperation, with partial federal funding for ahighway department in every state. Not onlydid state highway department buildings andgarages become part of the road’s landscape,their road improvements to accommodate theautomobile resulted in distinct changes to theNational Road. These changes includedbypasses, beginning in the 1930s, to relievetraffic congestion in small towns; therealignment of the road to straighten itsrollicking curves;and new infrastructure for theroute, newly-named U.S. 40 in 1926. Several ofthe by-passed towns again experienced aslowdown in traffic that ironically helpedpreserve the nineteenth century character thatis so attractive to visitors today.

These roads and improvements served an ever-increasing number of auto-tourists andcommercial uses as railroads became lessfavored as the mode of travel. A proliferation ofnew services and attendant building typesevolved to assist travelers: fuel services evolvedfrom filling pumps on curbs to corporate-designed gas stations and garages, while lodgingprogressed from camping in farmers’ fields tosmall cabin developments and tourist homes

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I N T R I N S I C Q U A L I T I E S

Late nineteenth-century roads were poorly maintained

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and, finally, to motels. Many examples still existon the byway, although these twentieth centuryresources are considered to be in a more fragilestate of preservation.

HISTORIC RESOURCES

The inventory of historic qualities along theNational Road mainly encompasses over 700architectural resources documented during arecent comprehensive survey of National Road-related resources in Ohio. These resources wereidentified with reference to historic themes thatpresented the entire history of the road and itsmetamorphosis from its earliest years in the1820s to the 1950s. The historic themes include:pre-National Road routes in Ohio thatinfluenced the location of the road; nineteenthcentury settlement patterns along the road;nineteenth century commercial and travelers’services; nineteenth and early twentiethcentury road construction practices andmaintenance administration; memorials; andtwentieth century commercial and travelers’services.

Most of the resources easily fell into either thevibrant early nineteenth century period, whenthe road’s construction was the motivatingfactor for settlement and commercial services,or the early to mid-twentieth century, whenautomobiles quickly transformed the sleepythoroughfare and led to a variety of newbuilding types that served the “auto-tourist”.

The resources include individual buildings andstructures as well as historic districts in severalof the “pike towns.” Included in the bywayinventory are a number of early nineteenthcentury taverns, remnants of Zane’s Trace andthe National Road, stone S-bridges and milemarkers, as well as the increasingly fragiletwentieth century resources such as gasstations, motels, tourist camps, and a smallnumber of tourist homes, restaurants, garages,and early truck stops.

In addition to the resources specifically relatedto the road’s history as a transportationcorridor, the historic qualities also includeproperties considered important in variouscommunities that were located on the road,usually the community’s main street, includingcourthouses, city halls, and schools.

THE PHYSIOGRAPHY OF THE NATIONAL ROAD

Anyone traveling west across Ohio along theNational Road will experience a contrastbetween the “hilly” and dissected landscape ofBelmont, Guernsey, and Muskingum countiesand the relative levelness of the western two-thirds of the route. The shift from steep,woodedhills and valleys to gently rolling farmlandbegins west of Zanesville, near Gratiot inLicking County. At that point, the routedescends from the unglaciated AlleghenyPlateau into the Glaciated Allegheny Plateaus

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U.S. 40 replaces the National Road

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region of eastern Licking County. The entirewestern half of the route, beginning west ofKirkersville, is located within the glacial tillplains of Ohio’s Central Lowlands section. TheIllinoisan Glaciation, which lasted from about130,000 to 300,000 years ago,was the first of twoglacial periods to extend south from Canada,leveling much of the Midwest in the process.Licking County’s glaciated plateaus are anartifact of Illinoisan glacial scouring. The laterWisconsin Glaciation extended across the rest ofthe state, leaving behind a network of glacialmoraines when the period ended 18,000 yearsago.

The shift from unglaciated to glaciatedlandscape has implications for everything fromhow the National Road was planned, built andbypassed to how people along it made a living.In the dissected eastern counties,stream valleysare deeper and narrower; bedrock outcrops inabundance on hilltops and bluffs and in streambeds. Consequently, shorter bridges made fromlocally available stone could be built to span thestreams. In addition,road engineers were forcedto balance the mandate for an arrow straightroute with the fact that the topography wouldsimply not permit it in eastern Ohio. As such,theroad meanders from floodplain to ridgetop,pursuing a far less direct route than is seen westof Zanesville. When U.S. 40 supplanted theNational Road as the major east-west route

through central Ohio, it bypassed many townson the eastern section of the road in favor ofterrain and alignments more suited to high-speed automobile traffic. On the west, U.S. 40typically was constructed directly on top of theNational Road, since terrain was not as much ofan issue.

The glaciated lowlands of the central andwestern parts of the state presented a wholedifferent set of problems to the builders of theNational Road. To begin with, the bedrock thatwas so readily available to the east was buriedunder yards of glacial till. Often, it was easier to

import stone than to acquire it on site. Thebroad stream valleys of western Ohio were aproduct of glacial meltwater,which carved riverslike the Stillwater and Great Miami out of thefreshly deposited till as it rushed south to theOhio River. Although bedrock was scarce, theglaciers did leave behind an abundant supply ofgravel, which was used to build up the roadbedwhere the route crossed swampy ground andwide floodplains. Whereas the topography ofeastern Ohio sometimes forced a circuitousroute,the level landscape of the western countiesallowed engineers to make the National Roadthe epitome of the phrase “the shortest distancebetween two points (Columbus and Indianapolisin this case) is a straight line.”

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The rolling topography along the byway in the eastern region

The flat, glaciated landscape in western Ohio

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The glacial legacy of the National Road alsoinfluenced subsistence along the route. Despitethe shift in topography, the early nineteenthcentury landscape traversed by the road wasalmost entirely covered in beech-maple forest.However, the level to gently rolling landscape ofthe western two-thirds of the state proved idealfor large-scale farming, and the forested standsthat enveloped arable prairies were soon cleared.Farmers in the eastern counties chose smalleragrarian plots on hilltops and along streambottoms, leaving much of the beech-mapleforest. As such, in spite of timbering activities,much of the route remains wooded in the easterncounties.

The geology of the National Road and thehistoric utilization that followed are reflected inthe traveler’s experience. The eastern end of thestate is noticeably more wooded, has far fewerfields, and is dissected by deeper streams. TheNational Road cuts across ridgetops rather thanfollows them,with far more topography-induceddeflections north or south than are seen west ofZanesville. The western two-thirds of the routetraverses some of Ohio’s richest farmland. Viewsthat frequently extend from the road to thehorizon reinforce the notion that farming is theeconomic birthright of this part of the state.

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THE EASTERN BYWAY (BELMONT,GUERNSEY AND MUSKINGUMCOUNTIES)

SCENIC

The following narrative describes the visualcharacteristics, views and special features, thetraveler encounters as they travel from east towest along the Ohio National Road ScenicByway. The scenic intrinsic qualities wereidentified during site reconnaissance work,through community surveys and by publiccomment. The predominance of resourcesoccurs in the eastern and western regions of thebyway corridor and within the National RoadPike Towns. The ridgelines in the east offer longviews across the forested hilly terrain of theunglaciated landscape while the panoramaviews in the west extend to the horizon acrossagricultural fields of the glaciated Ohio plains.

SCENIC QUALITIES

BELMONT COUNTY

Views and Viewsheds

� Two short views to Wheeling Creek inLansing

� Rock outcrops in Lansing

� Two 180-degree northerly views to fieldsand woods on top of Blaine hill and west ofArches of Memory Bridgen Southeast view west of Friends ChurchRoad

� View west along road east of Lloydsville

� Views north through trees to fields and hillson the west side of Lloydsville

� View west along road

� Southerly views across hills on the east sideof Morristown

� Broad sweeping view north across hills,fields and woods west of Morristown

� Rock outcropsand view northnear StillwaterCreek

� Views tonorthern hillswest ofHendrysburg

Scenic Beauty

� Downtown St.Clairsville, aNational RoadPike Town

� Morristown, a National Road Pike Town

� Barkcamp State Park and Belmont Lake

� Dysart Woods

� Sections of the old brick remnants of theNational Road west of Hendrysburg

� Hendrysburg, a National Road Pike Town

GUERNSEY COUNTY

Views and Viewsheds

� Views north and south at Pisgah Road

� Views of the road east of Middleborne

� View south across the Salt Fork to hills andtrees at Carlisle Road

� View of Moore Memorial Woods CountyPark

� Enclosed view (wooded edge) betweenEaston and Elizabethtown

� Eastern enclosed views along road

� Rock outcrops

� Enclosed views along road near CassellStation

� View south across agricultural fields east ofNew Concord

Scenic Beauty

� Fairview, a National Road Pike Town

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A scenic view west of Morristown

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� Old Washington, a National Road PikeTown

� Peacock Road – Old National Road bricksection on the National Register of HistoricPlaces

� Downtown Cambridge

� Salt Fork State Park and Wildlife Area

MUSKINGUM COUNTY

Views and Viewsheds

� 180-degree long view over valley east ofNorwich

� Long views looking north and south acrossagricultural rolling hills west of Norwich

� Views along road and toward the north eastof Bridgeville

� Southeasterly view over Boggs Creek

� Views of Muskingum River in Zanesville

� Southeastern view west of Hopewell

� View along road at the County line

� View of three transportation routes - theNational Road, U.S. Route 40 and I-70 justoutside of west Gratiot

Scenic Beauty

� Village of New Concord

� Blue Rock State Park and Forest

� St. Nicholas Church in Zanesville

� Dillon State Park and Wildlife Area,Blackhand Gorge

LANDSCAPE CHARACTERISTICS

The route for the Ohio National Road ScenicByway travels across an ever-changing roadwaycharacter. The cross section varies from anurban,closed section that has curb and gutter toa rural open section with asphalt or grassshoulders and drainage swales.

BELMONT COUNTY

The intersection of the National Road and the

Ohio River Scenic Route Ohio in the town ofBridgeport is the Eastern Gateway to theNational Road in Ohio. Highway commercialdevelopment, sign proliferation, I-70 toweringoverhead and the absence of landscapingthrough Bridgeport and Brookside make thisentrance unappealing, disorienting and harsh.Enhancing this gateway will be critical towelcoming travelers. The traveler passes avariety of residential and commercial propertiesin Belmont County along a more urban crosssection between Bridgeport and Blaine. As theNational Road becomes more rural, offeringviews across the undulating landscape, it passesa landscape that once was dominated by miningoperations but now is covered with pasture andsecond growth forests.

Road cross sections –

� From Bridgeport to Blaine, the road is atwo-lane curb and gutter urban crosssection with sidewalks on both sidesadjacent to the traveling lane. One lane ofparking can be found in Bridgeport andsometimes a narrow grass strip separatesthe sidewalk and travel lane.

� Two lanes continue west to become an opencross section with six-foot-wide shoulderson the northern side of the road just east ofSt. Clairsville

� Within St. Clairsville, the road is a four-laneurban cross section with streetscapeplantings, sidewalks and parking on bothsides.

� West of St. Clairsville, the two-lane ruralopen section has two-foot shoulders on bothsides of the road

GUERNSEY COUNTY

In Guernsey County, similar landscape charac-teristics continue but become more rural.Earlier strip coal mining operations evident inthe eastern portion of the county irreversiblyaltered the terrain and vegetation of the region,

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though nature is slowly reclaiming these oncebarren hills. The byway alignment weavesthrough the rolling hills and parallels I-70 veryclosely,often with views of the interstate. As thebyway approaches Cambridge, the county seat,there is an increase in traffic and commercialactivity. Cambridge offers many services andincludes the County Courthouse, a dominantscenic feature along an attractive main street inthe historic core of the city.

Road cross sections include –

� A four-lane open section with a three-footconcrete median west of Morristown

� A two-lane open section with no shouldersin the eastern portion of the County and inthe National Road Pike Town of Fairview

� West of Fairview, the road is a four-lanedivided open section highway with a largegrass median and shoulders

� In Cambridge, the road is a four-lane urbansection with parking and sidewalks

� West of Cambridge near Fairdale, the four-lane section continues with no median

MUSKINGUM COUNTY

A heavily vegetated landscape encloses viewsalong the road. Muskingum County’stopographic features are characteristic of theunglaciated landscape that often affords longviews from ridgelines.


� A four-lane urban section in New Concordhas two lanes of traffic, parking on bothsides, and brick crosswalks at theintersections. Mature street trees, sidewalksand other streetscape elements enhance thepedestrian and vehicular experience.

� A four-lane divided rural section with anarrow grass median and grass shouldersfrom west of New Concord

� A two-lane brick closed section of the Old

National Road can be driven on in Norwich

� A two-lane open section with three-footshoulders begins west of Norwich

� Approaching Zanesville from the east, theroad widens to three lanes and becomes aclosed section in the downtown historic core

� West of Zanesville, the road becomes a four-lane open section undivided highway withshoulders; it becomes two lanes throughHopewell and Gratiot

VISUAL INTRUSIONS

Billboards are concentrated at the easterngateway and at other isolated locations in theeastern counties of Belmont, Guernsey andMuskingum Counties, often at I-70 exit orinterchange locations. Sign proliferation inhighway commercial areas, in particular,detractfrom the byway view and are usually found nearthe Interstate interchanges, major roadintersections and the approaches to the moreurbanized communities. The occasional locationof cell towers can be found along the entireroute.

Throughout the National Road corridor,highway commercial areas provide visitorservices but are also places that could be mademore attractive to improve the visitorexperience. Within the eastern region, theseareas are found between Lansing and Blaine, atthe Intersection of East Richland and the I-70

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Main Street in New Concord

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Interchange, on the western edge of St.Clairsville, at the Route 513 intersection, at theI-77 Interchange, in Cassell Station, near Route197 and just west of Zanesville.

A former quarry to the west of Cambridge isvisible from the road and storage facilities onthe east side of New Concord could be bufferedto improve the view along the byway.

VISUAL PREFERENCE SURVEY RESULTS

Regional Working Group members were askedto participate in a Visual Preference Surveydesigned to elicit a local perspective on favoritevistas, favorite features and things that need tobe improved along the National Road. Theinformation received yielded interesting results.With only a few exceptions, most people whoresponded did so with photos and informationthat reflected their particular locale or county.As a result, in areas where more than one personresponded to the survey, there were instanceswhere the same features or things to improvewere submitted. However, in areas where onlyone response was received this kind ofcorrelation was not possible.

In the eastern region, correlation betweenphotos submitted by different people was foundamong those things that need to be improved:the “gateway” aspect of entering Ohio at thestate line, Blaine Bridge, and Soldier Park inBridgeport. Significant features includedNational Road-related resources such as themile markers, Blaine Bridge, and Peacock Road,as well as Mail Pouch barns, the Soldier statueand the Frasier Home. The scenic views thatwere identified were characteristic of thelandscape in the east, showing broad viewsacross hillsides covered in forests and fields.

CULTURAL

A number of excellent cultural facilities andevents are located in the eastern section of thebyway corridor. These include museums,

festivals, and facilities that highlight history, thevisual and performing arts, and local arts andcrafts traditions.

Traveling east to west, the first museum thevisitor encounters will soon be the John andAnnie Glenn Historic Site and ExplorationCenter, scheduled to open in Spring 2002. Thefacility will be located in the village of NewConcord, the boyhood home of this Americanhero. Nearby in Norwich, another national iconwith local ties is memorialized at the NationalRoad/Zane Grey Museum. In addition to thecollection of memorabilia related to the life andwriting career of author Zane Grey, the museumcontains a collection of vehicles and dioramasthat tell the history of the National Road.Thearea’s renowned history of pottery, particularlyart pottery produced from around the turn ofthe twentieth century through mid-century,alsois showcased through a collection of pieces fromsuch well-known makers as Roseville, Hull,Shawnee,Weller and McCoy.The museum is openWednesday through Sunday year-round and allweek May through September. Just west inZanesville, the Zanesville Art Center alsoincludes exhibits devoted to art pottery, as wellas American glassmaking and European,American, Oriental and Mexican art. Themuseum is open Tuesday through Sunday.

The arts and history of the eastern portion ofthe byway also come to life in several areafestivals.At the end of August, the Drover’s TrailFestival in Belmont recalls the early days ofcommerce and transport and offers arts andcrafts, food, music, and wagon rides. In nearbyBarnesville, the annual Ohio Pumpkin Festivalcelebrates the pumpkin on the last weekend ofSeptember. Events include a “King Pumpkin”contest for the largest pumpkin,carnival rides,aqueen pageant and entertainment. The easternpart of the byway also is host to Jamboree in theHills, the “Super Bowl of Country Music.” Heldjust outside of Morristown in mid-July,this large

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outdoor country music festival attracts over100,000 people annually to hear nationallyknown country music bands perform over thecourse of four days.

Colleges and universities located along a bywayoffer visitors the chance to take in a theater ormusical performance or lecture as a diversionduring their travels. Muskingum College in NewConcord and Ohio University – Eastern campusin St. Clairsville both host several theaterproductions and musical performances eachyear as well as art exhibits, lectures and filmfestivals, all of which are open to the generalpublic.

Because of its rich natural resources, over thecenturies the eastern portion of the byway hasbecome well known for several artisan crafttraditions that are still practiced today.Visitorsto the byway can learn about and experience theregion’s tradition of pottery, glassmaking andbasketry in the areas around Cambridge andZanesville. The Muskingum River valley hasprovided clay for pottery for hundreds of years.The ceramics industry began to develop in thearea in the nineteenth century and reached itsapex in the early twentieth century, whenpottery produced by manufacturers such asRoseville,Shawnee,Hull,McCoy and Weller wereextremely popular.Today these pieces are highlycollectible, and the legacy of the manufacturersattracts visitors from near and far. The OhioCeramic Center in Crooksville, located in Perry

County just beyond the Muskingum Countyline, contains exhibits devoted to the history ofpottery in east central Ohio. It is open Maythrough October from Wednesday to Sunday.Numerous retail and wholesale outlets arelocated in the area as well.These include:

Alpine Pottery (Roseville)Beaumont Bros. Pottery (Crooksville)Burley Clay Products Company(Zanesville)Dresden Pottery (Dresden)Ebenezer’s Barn (Zanesville)Fioriware (Zanesville)Hartstone, Inc. (Zanesville)Ohio Pottery East (Norwich)Ohio Pottery West (Zanesville)Robinson-Ransbottom Pottery Company(Roseville)Zanesville Pottery & China (Zanesville)

Another local craft industry that attractsvisitors to the area is glassmaking. Severalmuseums devoted to the industry, whichflourished in the early twentieth century andcontinues today, are located in the Cambridgearea. The Cambridge Glass Museum displaysover 5,000 pieces of Cambridge Glass and is openJune through November from Monday toSaturday. Also located in Cambridge, theDegenhart Paperweight & Glass Museumfocuses on the history of glassmaking in Ohio,western Pennsylvania and northwestern WestVirginia. It is open seven days a week Marchthrough December, and in January andFebruary from Monday through Friday. TheNational Cambridge Collector’s Museum inCambridge is open daily and contains acollection of over 4,500 pieces of glassware,molds and etching plates. Another glassmuseum, the National Heisey Glass Museum, islocated nearby in Newark (see description underthe Central Byway section). Factories andshowrooms where visitors can tour glassworksand purchase merchandise include Mosser

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Jamboree in the Hills takes place on the byway near Lloydsville

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Glass, Inc. and Boyd’s Crystal Art Glass. Bothare located in Cambridge and are open Mondaythrough Friday.

Another regional industry that attractsnumerous visitors to the area is that of basketmaking.The abundance of hardwood maple treesin eastern Ohio made the production of wovenwood baskets for the transport of farm andhousehold goods a popular craft industry.One ofthe most popular basket makers in the region,Longaberger Baskets, revived a basket makingtradition that supported the pottery industryin the early twentieth century by providingcontainers in which to transport unfired potteryto the kiln.The Longaberger Homestead,locatedin Frazeysburg in Muskingum County, attractshundreds of thousands of visitors each year toshop, eat and learn about the LongabergerBasket tradition. It is open seven days a week,with the exception of certain holidays. InZanesville, Mapletree Baskets has a factoryretail store for handmade wooden baskets that isopen from Monday through Friday.

RECREATIONAL

A number of parks are located on or near thebyway in the eastern portion of the route.Thereare no national parks located along any portionof the byway, however, a number of fine stateparks offer visitors a chance to explore the

natural beauty of central Ohio and engage in avariety of recreational pursuits.

Southeast of Morristown in Belmont County,Barkcamp State Park is a 1,232-acre parkcentered around 117-acre Belmont Lake.Activities include fishing and boating, camping,hiking and bridle trails,and picnicking.Close by,the 50-acre Dysart Woods site,managed by OhioUniversity, is one of the few remaining stands ofold-growth forest in the state. It offers visitorsthe opportunity to explore this rareenvironment on one of several hiking trails.Western Belmont County is home to the EgyptValley Wildlife Area, the southernmostboundary of which lies along Route 40 betweenMorristown and the western county line. EgyptValley Wildlife Area is a 14,300-acre publichunting and fishing area managed by theDepartment of Natural Resources.Just north ofCambridge lies another state wildlife area, SaltFork State Wildlife Area, which is adjoined bySalt Fork State Park. The state park contains17,229 acres that incorporates the woodlandsand fields surrounding the Salt Fork Reservoir.Activities available here include camping, an 18-hole golf course, fishing and hunting, swimming,picnicking, and boating.A guest lodge providesovernight accommodations. Dillon State Park,located in Nashport northwest of Zanesville, is a5,888-acre park featuring wooded hills andDillon Reservoir. It offers a variety ofrecreational activities including camping andcabins, boating, swimming, fishing, hunting, trapand skeet shooting, trails, picnicking, sleddingand ice skating. It also has a park office andrestrooms for the convenience of its guests. BlueRock State Park & State Forest, situatedsoutheast of Zanesville, is another large staterecreational facility. The State Forest contains4,573 acres and offers hiking, 26 miles of bridletrails and hunting,while the State Park has a 15-acre lake (Cutler Lake) and offers camping,boating, fishing, hiking, picnicking andswimming.

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Fioriware Pottery carries on the tradition of pottery in the MuskingumRiver valley

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At the local level, several towns offeropportunities for visitors to get out of their carsand experience the byway communities on footor bicycle. St. Clairsville contains two suchnotable facilities.The National Road Bikeway isa planned 7.7-mile Rail-Trail that links schools,parks and houses on the north and south sidesof the city with the downtown.Four miles of thetrail have been constructed.The city is workingto obtain the right-of-way that would enable alink to be established from the Bikeway to astriped bike lane on the National Road itself.Features along the Bikeway include a tunnel,bridge, gazebo, nature walk, landscaping andkiosks/stops along the way. On the east side oftown, St. Clairsville Memorial Park offers aswimming pool, picnic facilities and shelters, aplayground, ballfields, tennis courts andrestrooms.

One of the area’s more unique recreationalfacilities is found at The Wilds,a privately ownedand operated wildlife conservation park located18 miles south of New Concord in MuskingumCounty.The park is located on 14 square miles ofland reclaimed after surface mining operations.It is the largest nature preserve in NorthAmerica dedicated to breeding endangeredspecies. Open daily from May through October,The Wilds provides guided safari tours, a visitorcenter, a café, and an education center withexhibits on conservation work.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL

For the purposes of the byway inventory,archaeological qualities of the National Roadhave been divided into two classes. The first areresources that are easily accessible and, moreimportant, are already developed and open tothe public. These resources are geared towardprehistoric archaeology, and include everythingfrom visible mounds to museums withinterpretive displays. The second group ofresources are largely culled from a series of 41

sites documented by Gray & Pape’s 1998 surveyof archaeological sites associated with theNational Road. While only three of them arepresently open to the public,several private sitesare described here with the intent that theyhave the potential to be developed for publicinterpretation at a later date. As a whole, thisgroup of resources represents a sample of therange of known historic archaeological sitesalong the National Road.

There are no public archaeological sites locatedin the eastern region of the National Road.However, several other sites located on privateproperty that had previously been identified byGray & Pape in their 1998 study and wererevisited in August 2000 were noted as having (1)good archaeological integrity, (2) ready access,and (3) public interpretation potential. Theseare described below.

ZANE’S TRACE AND BLAINE BIG HILL, BELMONT

COUNTY

This site includes four remnant segments of theoriginal Zane’s Trace and later National Roadlocated along Wheeling Creek betweenBridgeport and Blaine. The four segments,which are not contiguous, have OhioArchaeological Inventory (OAI) numbers33Bl265, 33Bl266, 33Bl267, and 33Bl268.Archaeological reconnaissance in 1998confirmed the survival of most of the originalroute, and located two cut-stone masonryfeatures associated with the initial constructionof the National Road. At that time, the routewas recommended eligible for listing on theNational Register, and was recommended as animportant location for future publicinterpretation efforts. Due to time constraintsand accessibility issues, the segments were notrevisited in 2000. Nonetheless, the site isincluded in the present inventory because itretains tremendous public interpretationpotential.

TOLL HOUSE AND CHAMBERS TAVERN AT BLAINE S-

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BRIDGE, BELMONT COUNTY

A residence and privy (OAI 33Bl269) possiblyassociated with a tavern and toll house that oncestood on the north side of the Blaine S-Bridge,were standing here as late as 1932.Archaeological investigations conducted in 1998suggested that the suspected site area wasdisturbed by the installation of a sewer line andwater main along the north side of the stonebridge. While a number of historic artifactsdating from the mid-nineteenth to earlytwentieth centuries was recovered from unitsexcavated on the site, no evidence for structuralfeatures was encountered. Nonetheless, theexcavations confirmed the archaeologicalsurvival (albeit disturbed) of the tavern and tollhouse site. In light of the fact that restorationefforts at the Blaine S-bridge are ongoing,further archaeological fieldwork sufficient toestablish the integrity (and perhaps gather datauseful for a reconstruction) is warranted prior tofurther disturbance by heavy equipment.

BRICK TAVERN HOUSE (LENTZ TAVERN), BELMONT

COUNTY

This c. 1830 brick tavern and associatedoutbuildings (Ohio Historic Inventory # BEL-342-7) is located east of Lloydsville and just upthe hill from the 1870 National Register listedGreat Western School. The tavern site was listedin the National Register in 1995 and is owned byOhio University, which is beginning the processof stabilizing the building in advance ofproposed rehabilitation. In addition to the two-story brick tavern, the site includes a frameprivy, small frame shed, and large wood barn.While formal archaeological investigations havenot been conducted at the site, several archae-ological features were observed at the siteduring an August 2000 visit. The featuresinclude a circular depression on the east side ofthe tavern that may be a well and a smallrectangular concrete box located behind thetavern, just east of the standing privy. What

appears to be a collapsing ceramic pipe runsalongside the concrete box. Taken together,these features have the appearance of a cistern,although there is a remote possibility that theconcrete rectangle served as the foundation for asmall outbuilding.

A 1903 photograph of the tavern shows a two-story shed roof extending from the east gableend of the tavern’s roof and sheltering an areaalmost as large as the tavern itself. At the time,the tavern was at grade with the National Road,which was lowered in the 1950s. In the archivalphotograph, a driveway is shown extendingfrom the road and passing directly in front ofthe brick tavern and adjacent lean-to. Thedepression noted in 2000 would have beenlocated within the area sheltered by the lean-to.As this site does not function as a privateresidence and has not been substantiallyimpacted by development over the last 50 years,it has tremendous potential for publicinterpretation.

MASONRY TOLL HOUSE, BELMONT COUNTY

The ruins of a cut-stone masonry toll house(OAI 33Bl274) are located on the south side ofUS 40 just west of Morristown. The materials,workmanship, and surface detailing of the stonemasonry are consistent with the 1830s bridgemasonry known along the National Road inOhio. A surface depression near the standing

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The Lentz Tavern site

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ruins may indicate the location of a shaft featuresuch as a privy or well. No subsurfaceinvestigations were conducted in 1998, althoughbased on features observed, the site wasrecommended as potentially eligible for listingon the National Register of Historic Places. Thesite, which is situated between two privatedrives, was revisited in August 2000. Given itsaccessibility and excellent state of preservation,the site has tremendous potential forinterpreting the archaeology of a National Roadtoll house.

PENN TAVERN, GUERNSEY COUNTY

The Penn Tavern (OAI 33Gu197) wasdemolished prior to November 8, 1996, havingstood on the same site since 1842. Two cappedwells associated with the Penn Tavern were stillvisible at the surface when Gray & Papeconducted archaeological work there in 1998.The wells may retain deposits directlyassociated with the occupation of the tavernitself. Evidence of a cut-stone foundation wasalso documented on the site, which remains aprivate residence. Based on its ability to yieldarchaeological information useful to a betterunderstanding of how the old National Roadtaverns operated, the site was recommendedeligible for listing the National Register.Although a private residence, the site retainsgood integrity and potential for publicinterpretation.

HEADLEY INN, MUSKINGUM COUNTY

The Headley Inn (OAI 33Mu1139, OHI MUS-9-13), which is listed in the National Register, isone of the most renowned public housesassociated with the old National Road. A springbox and well were identified during Gray &Pape’s 1998 archaeological investigation. Thatinvestigation indicated that these featuresretain intact contexts, and suggested that aprogram of combined archaeological andarchitectural investigation may provideadditional data on the construction sequence

and flow of activities within this fascinatingcomplex. The Headley Inn was revisited in 2000,and although it is privately owned, the siteretains a good deal of public interpretationpotential.

NATURAL

Although much of the aboriginal forest thatonce flanked the National Road is gone, aremnant of the grand beech-maple woods thatblanketed much of Eastern Ohio can beexperienced at Dysart Woods Laboratory,located 8.5 miles south of Morristown. Boughtby Ohio University from the NatureConservancy in 1967, the 50-acre deciduouswoods is designated a National NaturalLandmark by the U.S. Department of theInterior. Visitors can hike through the 400-yearold forest remnant on trails that are accessiblefrom parking areas adjacent to the gravel roadwhich passes through the property.

The Muskingum Watershed ConservancyDistrict (MWCD), one of two such districtsalong the National Road, is also located in theeastern section of the byway. Created in 1933out of a need for flood control, the districtactually encompasses 18 Ohio counties,including Belmont, Guernsey, Muskingum, andLicking. While the MWCD's Piedmont Lake inBelmont County is primarily a recreational lake,the lake is surrounded by some of the 12 milliontrees planted by the MWCD as part of theirexhaustive efforts to reforest eastern Ohio.

In terms of acreage, Blue Rock State Forest inMuskingum County is second to the watersheddistricts along the National Road. The 4,579-acre forest (including Cutler Lake) is locatedabout 12 miles southeast of Zanesville on SR 60and is managed by the Ohio Division of Parksand Recreation. Blue Rock has been largelyreforested since it was acquired by the FederalGovernment in the 1930s and remains one of thelargest contiguous havens for wildlife in eastern

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Ohio. While the forest has numerousrecreational facilities, it also has miles of trailssuited for nature walks.

The natural features and visitor facilities foundwithin Ohio State Parks (SP) and State WildlifeAreas (SWA) along the byway vary, althoughthey are usually representative of the part of thestate in which they are located. Barkcamp SP,for example, is largely covered in second growthforest, and highlights the hills and valleys ofsoutheastern Ohio. Woodland wild flowersabound at Barkcamp,as do native fauna rangingfrom wild turkey to white-tailed deer. Otherstate-run facilities in the Eastern Sectioninclude Salt Fork SP/Reservoir/SWA inGuernsey County, and Dillon SP/SWA andMuskingum River SP in Muskingum County.

While some of the streams that cross theNational Road are little more than agriculturaldrainages, a surprising number of rivers andcreeks remain quite natural. Most counties haveat least one such stream, and they arerepresentative of the types of waterways bridgedby the National Road's builders. For example,Crooked Creek (Guernsey County) and FoxCreek (Muskingum County) are deeper andnarrower than meandering western streamssuch as Beaver Creek (Clark County) and TwinCreek (Preble County). While recreationalfacilities may not be developed along all of thesewaterways, they are ideally suited for a quietcanoe trip.

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The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District in Belmont County

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THE CENTRAL BYWAY (LICKING,FRANKLIN AND MADISON COUNTIES)

SCENIC

The following narrative describes the visualcharacteristics, views, and special featurestravelers encounter as they travel from east towest along the Ohio National Road ScenicByway. The scenic intrinsic qualities wereidentified during site reconnaissance work,through community surveys and by publiccomment. The predominance of resourcesoccurs in the eastern and western regions of thebyway corridor and within the National RoadPike Towns. The ridgelines in the east offer longviews across the forested hilly terrain of theunglaciated landscape while the panoramaviews in the west extend to the horizon acrossagricultural fields of the glaciated Ohio plains.

SCENIC QUALITIES

LICKING COUNTY

Views and Viewsheds

� Southeast view just outside of Gratiot onthe east of the village

� Panorama view at the Licking/MuskingumCounty line west of Gratiot

� A series of views of the road and farmlandoccur consistently between Linnville andHebron including a panorama eastern vieweast of Licking River

� View along road west of Hebron

� Southeast view east of Luray

� Eastern views north and south near SouthFork

� View along road east of Kirkersville

� View along road and northerly view nearYork Road

� Views along road to the west of Etna

Scenic Beauty

� Gratiot, a National Road Pike Town

� Brownsville, a National Road Pike Town

� Hebron, a National Road Pike Town

� Kirkersville, a National Road Pike Town

FRANKLIN COUNTY

Views and Viewsheds

� East and west views along Broad Street indowntown Columbus

� View of Ohio State Capital in Downtown Columbus

� Eastern viewsof DowntownC o l u m b u sfrom HilltopNeighborhood

� Eastern viewalong roadnear DarbyCreek Road

Scenic Beauty

� Bexley

� Franklin Park

� D o w n t o w nColumbus

MADISON COUNTY

Views and Viewsheds

� Views to Big Darby Creek

� Southwesterly views at theFranklin/Madison County line

� Northerly views across cornfields and theglaciated landscape

� Panorama view on the east side of Lafayette

� 180-degree views between Lafayette andSummerford across an agriculturallandscape

� Southeasterly view near Roberts Mill Road

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Downtown Columbus

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� Panorama view west of Potee Road

Scenic Beauty

� Big Darby Wild and Scenic River

� Little Darby Wild and Scenic River

� West Jefferson, a National Road Pike Town

� Lafayette, a National Road Pike Town


The route for the Ohio National Road ScenicByway travels across an ever-changing roadwaycharacter. The cross section varies from anurban,closed section that has curb and gutter toa rural open section with asphalt or grassshoulders and drainage swales.

LICKING COUNTY

As in Muskingum County,vegetation close to theroad frames views along the road and minimizesextended views over the landscape. Theseenclosed areas are not continuous but present adiversified view along the road. NearJacksontown, the National Road traveler willbegin to see the transition from the rollingterrain of the east to the glaciated plains moretypical of the western region of the byway. Asthe topography changes, vegetative types alsochange and the view from the road becomesmore open with fewer vegetative enclosures. Thetransition of this road corridor is evident inseveral places where the Old National Road,U.S.Route 40 and I-70 can be seen.


� On the east side of Gratiot along Route 40,one shoulder is marked as a bicycle lane.

� A four-lane undivided highway

� A two-lane open section with three-footshoulders near Linnville

� A two-lane closed section with grass edgeand sidewalk in Hebron

� A three-lane center turn lane exists forabout three miles exists near Luray

� A two-lane open section with three-footshoulders east of Kirkersville

� Angle and parallel parking in Kirkersvillewith two travel lanes

� A four-lane open section with three-footshoulders and wide grass median beginswest of Kirkersville

FRANKLIN COUNTY

The Columbus metropolitan area in FranklinCounty is the most urbanized area along theNational Road in Ohio, with suburbandevelopment and highway commercial areas onthe eastern and western borders. Many of thecommunities, such as Reynoldsburg, Whitehalland Bexley have attractive streetscape elementsor are in the process of constructing streetscapeenhancement projects. It is also in FranklinCounty where the topography is flat and thenatural landscape becomes less visible becausethe buildings and development along the roadcorridor limit the view from the road.


� A four-lane undivided urban cross sectiondominant in Franklin County, typicallywith parking on both sides

� Downtown Columbus has an eight-lanecross section with six travel lanes and twoparking lanes

� West of Columbus, the byway becomes afour-lane divided open section road with a

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Sections of U.S. 40 in Licking County have a grass median

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large grass median to the Franklin/MadisonCounty line, resulting in a parkway-likeappearance and a more rural feel

MADISON COUNTY

Madison County displays the landscape featuresthat predominate the more western sections ofthe byway. It is generally flat to gently rollingand principally agricultural.The combination ofthese features offers the National Road travelerlong,broad views across farm fields.These viewsare occasionally punctuated by forest-linedstreams or are enclosed as one travels throughsmall towns. West Jefferson, a picturesque andvibrant pike town that is the principal townalong the National Road in Madison County,recently has undertaken a streetscapeenhancement project.


� Four travel lanes with two parking lanesthat are enhanced with street trees,sidewalks, planters and lighting in WestJefferson.

� A two-lane open section road west of WestJefferson.

VISUAL INTRUSIONS

In the western portion of the National Road,there is a large area through the Columbusmetropolitan area that is dominated by highwaycommercial development. These includeReynoldsburg, White Hall, Franklinton, the I-270 Interchanges and the fringes of West

Jefferson. Several cell towers and transmissionline near Brownsville and above-groundtelephone poles along the road intermittentlyinterrupt views through a rural landscape.Mobile homes at the Franklin/MuskingumCounty line are visible from the road. A numberof billboards line the road on the western side ofthe county.

CULTURAL

The central part of the byway contains some ofthe larger cultural facilities found along theroute. One of the few archaeological sites nearthe National Road corridor that are open to thepublic, Flint Ridge State Memorial is locatedjust outside of Brownsville and is reached fromthe National Road by a scenic, two-lane road.The park, operated by the Ohio HistoricalSociety, features a museum with exhibitsdevoted to the history of flint quarrying --emphasizing its prehistoric importance -- as wellas walking trails, picnic facilities and restrooms.The park is open Wednesday to Sunday fromMemorial Day through Labor Day, andSaturday and Sunday from Labor Day throughOctober.

Closer to Columbus, several other culturalfacilities offer byway visitors a selection ofdiversions suited to family members of all agesand interests. The Motts Military Museum inGroveport, just outside of Columbus, houses acollection of military items and memorabiliafrom the various military conflicts in which theU.S. has been involved. It is open Tuesdaythrough Sunday. The Columbus Zoo andAquarium features animals and environmentsfrom the African rainforest, North America,South America,Asia and Australasia. It also hasspecial exhibits devoted to reptiles andmanatees, as well as a children’s zoo.The zoo isopen daily. Another general interest culturalfacility in Columbus is COSI, the Center ofScience and Industry. COSI explores the worlds

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The pike town of West Jefferson

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of technology, science and nature withinteractive exhibits and multi-media theaters.Itis open daily, with extended theater, restaurantand retail hours on Friday and Saturday.Visitors whose tastes run more towards the artscan take advantage of the Columbus Museum ofArt, which features a collection of art coveringthe Impressionist through Modern eras. Themuseum also has a sculpture garden,photography center, gift shop, and café. It isopen Tuesday to Sunday.

Annual festivals and events provide bywayvisitors with a wonderful opportunity toexperience local celebrations and specialties.TheOhio State Fair takes place at the Expo Centerin Columbus each year in August. The fairattracts nearly one million visitors to hear localand nationally renowned musical artists, takepart in livestock contests and auctions, viewarts and crafts exhibits, purchase Ohio-madeproducts, and play games at the midway.Another large event is the Columbus ArtsFestival. Held every year in early June, itfeatures over 300 artists and food from arearestaurants. West Jefferson holds an AnnualLabor Day Ox Roast. The 2000 roast was the50th anniversary of the event, which featuresfood, games, and entertainment.

The central region of the byway is home to oneof the state’s largest educational institutions,Ohio State University. The university givesbyway visitors a chance to attend lectures,sporting events or other special events that onlya large university can offer.Visitors also can takeadvantage of the many exhibits, performancesand films offered at the Wexner Center for theArts, designed by noted architect PeterEisenman.

The many craft traditions found in east centralOhio were described in the previous EasternByway section. Glassmaking also took place inthe central section, most notably aroundNewark, famed for the Heisey Glass Works that

operated from 1896 to 1957. The NationalHeisey Glass Museum in Newark highlights thework of this firm through the display of over4,500 pieces of glassware and glassmakingarticles related to Heisey glass. It is open fromTuesday to Sunday.Augustus Heisey was one ofmany Germans whose family came west in themid-nineteenth century and settled in Ohio,oftentimes after having traveled overland alongthe National Road.Many other Germans settledin Columbus around what is now called GermanVillage.This area,listed on the National Registerof Historic Places, experienced a steady declinein the mid-twentieth century but has slowlybeen brought back to life through preservation.Today the area’s restored cottages and brick-lined streets are part of a viable, attractivecommunity that welcomes visitors year-round.In addition to the architecture, the bakeries,restaurants, tours, and events help bring to lifethe historical origins of this community. Thenearby Brewery District, also a NationalRegister Historic District, further emphasizesthe German-influenced traditions that shapedthe city. Though none of its original breweriesare still in operation, many of the historicwarehouses and other buildings survive andhave been turned into specialty stores,nightclubs, restaurants and bars, includingseveral micro-breweries that carry on thetraditions of the neighborhood.At least 14 otherNational Register Historic Districts located inthe vicinity of the National Road await thecurious visitor looking to explore the localhistory and architecture of Columbus.

RECREATIONAL

As in other parts of the byway corridor, thecentral byway area contains no national parks.It is, however, blessed with several state parksand an excellent system of regional parks, theColumbus Metro Parks.

Buckeye Lake State Park, partially located in

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Licking County, is the oldest state park,established in 1894. Its central focus, BuckeyeLake,was created once the canal system fell intodisuse and the feeder reservoirs were no longerneeded.Tourism in the area was well establishedby 1900, and today visitors can still enjoy itsboating, swimming, fishing and picnickingopportunities. Blackhand Gorge State NaturePreserve, located east of Newark in LickingCounty, is a narrow gorge through which theLicking River runs. It offers a 4.3-mile asphalt-paved path for hiking and cycling. On the otherside of Columbus, Madison Lake State Park inMadison County has as its centerpiece a 106-acre lake. The park offers fishing, hunting (formigratory game birds only), swimming andpicnicking, as well as a half-mile long hikingtrail.

The Columbus Metro Park system augmentsthe state park system in the central part of thebyway.Three Metro Parks -- Battelle-DarbyCreek,Three Creeks, and Blacklick Woods -- liewithin the byway corridor and offer visitorsnot only a chance to take a break from drivingbut also to learn about some of the state’s mostunique natural environments. Blacklick WoodsMetro Park, located on Columbus’east side, is a632-acre park that includes the Walter A.Tucker Nature Preserve, a swamp preserve des-ignated a National Natural Landmark. Otheractivities available here include a four-mile

trail, picnic facilities, a nature center, a golfcourse, and cross-country skiing. Meeting facili-ties and restrooms also are available. In south-ern Columbus,Three Creeks Metro Park is locat-ed at the confluence of the Alum, Big Walnutand Blacklick Creeks. Its 1000 acres offer ath-letic fields and trails, canoeing, fishing, picnick-ing and a six-mile paved multi-purpose trail.Restrooms also are available. On the far west-ern side of Franklin County lies Battelle-DarbyCreek Metro Park.The park is situated alongthe Big and Little Darby Creeks, designatedState and National Wild and Scenic Rivers. Its3,500+ acres contain land management areasand a variety of ecosystems including prairies,wetlands, and woodlands, as well as Big andLittle Darby Creeks.The park has several trailsranging in length from one-tenth of a mile totwo miles, and offers other activities includinghiking, picnicking, nature and history pro-grams, canoeing, sledding, cross-country skiing,hunting and fishing, and a pet trail.A rangerstation and restrooms also are available.

The city also has several local parks. Notableamong these are Franklin Park and Wolfe Park.Wolfe Park lies on the east side of Alum Creekand has tennis courts,playing fields,and a hiker-biker trail. Nearby Franklin Park offers picnicfacilities, walking trails, a pond and aplayground.It also is the home of Franklin Park

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Franklin Park in Columbus Wolfe Park in Columbus offers a paved hiker-biker trail, part of theOhio to Erie Trail.

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Conservatory, an impressive indoor botanicalgarden.

The Ohio to Erie Trail, a multi-use trail thatlinks Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland, isbeing developed in sections. The Alum Creeksection, which runs through Wolfe Park, crossesthe National Road at Alum Creek.

One of the more exceptional natural andrecreational facilities located near the byway isfound along the central section. DawesArboretum, located just north of the NationalRoad between Jacksontown and Newark, is a1,149-acre arboretum that includes landdedicated to arboreal collections, agricultureand silviculture, and natural areas. It has avisitor center, a two-mile auto tour of theArboretum,several trails ranging in length fromone-third-mile to five miles and thousands oftrees, shrubs, vines, perennials and other plants.It is an excellent facility for byway visitors tolearn about the native flora of the area whilethey stretch their legs and take in the scenery.The arboretum is open daily.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL

For the purposes of the byway inventory,archaeological qualities of the National Roadhave been divided into two classes. The first areresources that are easily accessible and, moreimportant, are already developed and open tothe public. These resources are geared towardprehistoric archaeology, and include everythingfrom visible mounds to museums withinterpretive displays. The second group ofresources are largely culled from a series of 41sites documented by Gray & Pape’s 1998 surveyof archaeological sites associated with theNational Road. While only three of them arepresently open to the public,several private sitesare described here as well with the intent thatthey have the potential to be developed forpublic interpretation at a later date. As a whole,this group of resources represents a sample of

the range ofknown historicarchaeologicalsites along theN a t i o n a lRoad.

The onlypublic archae-ological siteslocated alongthe byway arefound in thecentral regionof the NationalR o a d .Additionally,several siteslocated onp r i v a t eproperty that had previously been identified byGray & Pape in their 1998 study and wererevisited in August 2000 were noted as having (1)good archaeological integrity, (2) ready access,and (3) public interpretation potential. Theseare described below.

ARCHAEOLOGY INTERPRETED AT PUBLIC

FACILITIES

The Flint Ridge State Memorial, located threemiles north of Brownsville is undoubtedly thefinest interpretive facility concentrating onprehistoric archaeology along the NationalRoad. The memorial, which was established in1933, includes a museum/ visitors center builtover a flint quarry that was created byprehistoric Americans. A system of walkingtrails (one of which is handicapped accessible)wind through a series of other open prehistoricflint quarries located on the site. The museumalso interprets the geological development ofeastern Ohio, which was responsible for thepresence of the flint that proved so attractive tothe region’s earliest inhabitants. Theinterpretive center at Flint Ridge State

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Flint Ridge State Memorial, an archaeologi-cal site near the byway that is open to thepublic

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Memorial is open on weekends Memorial Daythrough October.

Moundbuilders State Memorial, OctagonEarthworks, and Wright Earthworks arelocated in Newark, Licking County. Althoughthe three sites are part of the NewarkEarthworks, they remain as the vestiges of whathas been called the “largest system of connectedgeometric earthworks built anywhere in theworld.” The Wright works, located at James andWaldo Streets in Newark, includes the 50-footlong remnant of one side of what was a squareenclosure. Octagon Earthworks, situated on thewest side of Newark at the MoundbuildersCountry Club, includes an octagonal series ofparallel walls that enclose a group of smallmounds. The Wright and Octagon sites are openyear round, although there are no interpretivefacilities. Moundbuilders State Memorial,located on the south side of Newark, is thelargest publicly interpreted remnant of theNewark Works. The site, which includes the1200-foot diameter Great Circle, and those whobuilt the works, are interpreted at a museumthat is open most days from Memorial Daythrough October. While Newark is arguablyoutside of the National Road corridor, theprehistoric earthworks there are very wellinterpreted and are worth visiting.

The Ohio Historical Center and Ohio Villagecomplex is located off I-71 northeast ofColumbus in Franklin County. The 250,000-square-foot historical center has been describedas “probably the finest museum in Americadevoted to pre-European history,”and includes amuseum, auditorium, and the Ohio HistoricalSociety Archives/Library. Exhibits includepermanent displays concerning archaeology and200 years of Ohio history and a rotatingschedule of temporary exhibits covering topicssuch as Ohio’s flora, fauna, geology, geography,climate, and weather. A typical 1860s Ohiocounty seat is recreated on 15 acres at the Ohio

Village, which is adjacent to the Ohio HistoricalCenter. While historic archaeology is notexpressly interpreted at the site,the size, layout,and function of the village’s buildings are goodreconstructions of what a traveler in the mid-nineteenth century would have encounteredalong the National Road. More important, thevillage provides a visual representation of howsome of the sites discussed below (especially thetaverns and the Village of Tadmor) appearedbefore they became archaeological resources.

OTHER ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES

LICKING RIVER FEEDER CANAL, KIRKERSVILLE,LICKING COUNTY

A small canal defines the northeast edge of thevillage of Kirkersville. The canal was apparentlyconstructed to provide a navigable channelbetween the National Road and the LickingRiver,which runs just north of Kirkersville. Thefeature is clearly visible at the base of the slopebelow the edge of several street corners alongKirkersville’s east side. Although not subjectedto formal archaeological investigations,the site’sready access provides a good opportunity forpublic interpretation.

CAMP CHASE/WESTGATE PARK/CEMETERY, FRANKLIN

COUNTY

Westgate Park and Camp Chase Cemetery aretwo small portions of a small Army base calledCamp Chase, which served as an inductioncenter and POW camp during the Civil War.Today, Westgate Park is the largest relativelyundeveloped landscape in the vicinity of CampChase. Two vacant lots on the east side of DerrerRoad also survive, one to each side of theintersection with Olive Street. Both lots werewell within the mapped perimeter of the camp.No excavations were conducted by Gray & Papein 1998. A secondary goal of the 1998 field visitto Camp Chase was to establish if any viewshedssurvived which were evocative of this Civil Waroccupation along the National Road. This goal

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was overwhelmingly met by a brief visit to theCamp Chase Cemetery on Sullivant Avenue,where over 2000 Confederate POWs are buriedin row upon symmetrical row of graves. Thecemetery was revisited in 2000;the view remainsa powerful one and is considered an ideallocation for interpreting the National Road’srole in America’s greatest conflict. While thepark and cemetery are essentially open to thepublic, care must be taken to ensure thatinterpretation of the cemetery is accomplishedin a manner befitting the dignity of the place.

BIG DARBY CREEK CROSSING, FRANKLIN COUNTY

The National Road crosses theFranklin/Madison County line at Big DarbyCreek, which is a State and National ScenicRiver. Gray & Pape’s 1998 archaeologicalinvestigations found that a 1923 USGSquadrangle showed the old National Roaddeflecting slightly south along the bluffoverlooking the east bank of the stream. Theroad then turned abruptly northwest andfollowed the ravine out the west side of thevalley. At that time, surface reconnaissance wassuccessfully employed to reconstruct the routeof the original crossing, which has beendesignated OAI site 33Fr1571. The site vicinitywas revisited in 2000; it offers a goodopportunity for public interpretation of routingconstraints in earlier periods of roadconstruction.

NATURAL

A remnant of the old forest of Eastern Ohiosurvives in the Central Section at the DeepWoods plot in Dawes Arboretum, located 1.3miles north from Jacksontown on SR 13 inLicking County. The 1149-acre arboretum wasestablished in 1929 and is one of two excellentinterpretive facilities for natural features alongthe National Road. The arboretum includes amodern visitors center,three driving tours,eightwalking trails, and acres of gardens, naturalareas, and experimental agricultural andarboreal parcels.

While the Eastern Section benefits primarilyfrom state, county, and municipal parks, theCentral and Western sections are greatlyenhanced by the presence of several MetroParks.In the Central Section,the National Roadpasses near three of Franklin County's qualityMetro Parks, including Battelle-Darby Creek,Three Rivers, and Blacklick Woods. Whilefacilities and natural features vary from park topark, visitors may explore remnant woods,prairies, wetlands, and wildlife managementareas on a variety of trails. The Walter A.TuckerNature Preserve in Blacklick Woods Metro Parkis a National Natural Landmark. All of theMetro Parks also offer a full schedule of events,including everything from poetry readings tointerpretive walking tours.

In addition to the “big picture” presented byMetro Parks and state facilities like BuckeyeLake SP in Licking County and Sawmill PlazaWetland SWA in Franklin County, travelers onthe National Road may experience snapshots ofthe corridor's natural bounty at a number ofsmaller nature preserves. Preserves located inthe Central Section include Cranberry Bog (atBuckeye Lake) and Blackhand Gorge, both inLicking County. Although open to the publiconly once yearly (or by permit), the 50-acreCranberry Bog is believed to be the only floating

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Dawes Arboretum introduces visitors to native floraHR

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bog mat island in the world. It is a NationalNatural Landmark. Blackhand Gorge preservesa narrow gorge, offering a glimpse of thegeological development of western Ohio, as wellas a fine display of spring wild flowers.

Many of the National Road's natural qualitiesare associated with one or more of the numerousstreams and rivers that run through thecorridor. The most significant of these in theCentral Section is the Olentangy River inFranklin County, which is an Ohio Scenic River.Big and Little Darby Creeks in Madison Countyare both Ohio and National Scenic Rivers.

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THE WESTERN BYWAY (CLARK, MIAMI,MONTGOMERY AND PREBLE COUNTIES

SCENIC

The following narrative describes the visualcharacteristics, views and special features, thetraveler encounters as they travel from east towest along the Ohio National Road ScenicByway. The scenic intrinsic qualities wereidentified during site reconnaissance work,through community surveys and by publiccomment. The predominance of resourcesoccurs in the eastern and western regions of thebyway corridor and within the National RoadPike Towns. The ridgelines in the east offer longviews across the forested hilly terrain of theunglaciated landscape while the panoramaviews in the west extend to the horizon acrossagricultural fields of the glaciated Ohio plains.

SCENIC QUALITIES

CLARK COUNTY

Views and Viewsheds

� View looking west near Brighton

� Southeast views west of Brighton

� Northeasterly views near Forgy/Donnellsville

� Several expansive views west of Forgy

Scenic Beauty

� Brighton, a National Road Pike Town

� Beaver Creek

� Buck Creek State Park

� Harmony, a National Road Pike Town

� Warder Literacy Center, Heritage Center ofClark County and several other churchesand historic architecture in Springfield

� Ohio Edison Building outside of Springfield

MIAMI COUNTY

Views and Viewsheds

� Southerly views at Miami/Clark County line

� Panorama views west of Brandt

� Easterly view along road west of Brandt

� Southerly view at Flick Road

Scenic Beauty

� Brandt, a National Road Pike Town

MONTGOMERY COUNTY

Views and Viewsheds

� Enclosed views along eastern edge of theGreat Miami River

� Eastern view at Heber Road

� Panorama view west of Swanktown

� Panorama view near Bachman

Scenic Beauty

� Great Miami River

� Taylorsville MetroPark

� Buckeye Trail

� Aullwood Audubon Center & Farm

� Old National Trail Riding Center

� Stillwater River

� Englewood MetroPark

PREBLE COUNTY

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Wardner Literacy Center, one of Springfield’s architectural gems

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Views and Viewsheds

� Panorama view at Preble/MontgomeryCounty line

� Enclosed views along road west ofLewisburg

� Northerly views across agricultural fieldsnear Price Creek

� Panorama views across agricultural fieldsand glaciated landscape west of Goose Creek

� Panorama views across agricultural fieldswest of Gettysburg

Scenic Beauty

� Lewisburg, a National Road Pike Town


With the exception of the two urbanized areasof Springfield and Vandalia, the western regionhas a distinctive landscape representative of theMidwest plains. It is this region that offers viewsacross agricultural fields to the horizon beyond,where the historic architectural features arebeacons and landmarks that can be seen fromafar, and the views are less obscured by matureroadside vegetation. It is, on the other hand, astraight direct road corridor through a very flatbut attractive rural landscape. The city ofSpringfield with its remaining industrial andpublic buildings provide a glimpse of its past inthe publishing and railroad businesses.

CLARK COUNTY


� A four-lane undivided highway with wideshoulders near Harmony

� A two-lane open cross section with three-foot shoulders in Donnelsville

MONTGOMERY COUNTY


� Four-lanes with a center turn lane inEnglewood

� In downtown Englewood, four-lane urbancross section is enhanced with bricksidewalks, street trees and pedestrianlighting

PREBLE COUNTY


� A two-lane open cross section with three-foot shoulders

� A two travel lane closed section withparking on both sides, grass panels andsidewalks in Lewisburg

VISUAL INTRUSIONS

The occasional billboard, cell tower andtransmission line detract from the rurallandscape that dominates most of the westernregion of the byway. Billboards along I-70 canoften be seen from the byway due to extendedviews across a level landscape. Highwaycommercial areas in Springfield, Vandalia andEnglewood also have signs that are large in size,height and number and asphalt parking lotsthat, with improvement, could enhance thetraveler’s experience.

VISUAL PREFERENCE SURVEY RESULTS

Regional Working Group members were askedto participate in a Visual Preference Surveydesigned to elicit a local perspective on favoritevistas, favorite features and things that need tobe improved along the National Road. Theinformation received yielded interesting results.With only a few exceptions, most people whoresponded did so with photos and informationthat reflected their particular locale or county.As a result, in areas where more than one personresponded to the survey, there were instances

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U.S. 40 in Preble County

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where the same features or things to improvewere submitted. However, in areas where onlyone response was received this kind ofcorrelation was not possible.

In the western region,favorite features noted bymore than one person included Taylorsville Damand MetroPark, Tadmor (a former NationalRoad pike town now in ruins), AullwoodAudubon Center and the adjacent public spaces,the National Road, and the PennsylvaniaHouse. Scenic views most frequently identifiedwere typically of rural, agricultural landscapes.Areas that could use some improvementincluded individual resources such as theWescott House in Springfield and the HinesTruck Stop,as well as general conditions such astraffic congestion.

CULTURAL

The western portion of the byway offers adiversity of cultural attractions for the bywayvisitor, including two exhibits devoted to thehistory of the National Road. The HeritageCenter of Clark County in downtown Springfieldis housed in a huge,Romanesque historic marketbuilding that once was City Hall. Renovation ofthe buildings for use as a multi-purpose heritagefacility was completed in 2001. It includes amuseum, commercial space, a research facilityand archives for the Clark County HistoricalSociety.A portion of the museum is dedicated tothe history of the National Road.The HeritageCenter provides an excellent introduction tolocal history and traditions for byway visitors,and the potential for creating a visitor centerthere is being discussed. Also in Springfield, thePennsylvania House Museum, owned andoperated by the Lagonda Chapter of theDaughters of the American Revolution, is a c.1822 historic National Road tavern. Themuseum, which features period furnishings andcollections of dolls and buttons,holds a monthlyopen house.Otherwise,private group tours must

be arranged in advance.

Further west, the Dayton area offers severalcultural attractions that might entice a bywayvisitor to venture slightly south of the route.TheDayton Aviation National Historical Park isdedicated to the work of the Wright brothers. Italso memorializes the life and work of nativePaul Laurence Dunbar. The park consists ofseveral sites scattered throughout the city,including the National Historic Landmarks ofthe Wright Cycle Company building and Wrightbrothers' print shop building, the HuffmanPrairie Flying Field, and the 1905 Wright FlyerIII. It also includes the Paul Laurence DunbarState Memorial. The national renown andpopularity of the Wright Brothers’ storyattracts approximately 34,000 people per year.The Wright Cycle Company building is openWednesday through Sunday; other buildings in

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The Heritage Center of Clark County in Springfield

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the park have varying hours.

Another Dayton area museum dedicated toaviation history is the US Air Force Museum atthe Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Themuseum contains a collection of air forceweaponry and memorabilia, as well as theAviation Hall of Fame. Carillon Park in Daytonis a 65-acre park dedicated to the history ofinvention, transportation and pioneer life inDayton and the Miami valley. It contains 20exhibit buildings and structures, including a1796 log tavern, antique automobiles, a 1903parlor car, a 1930s print shop, and a one-roomschoolhouse. Carillon Park also is the home ofthe Wright Flyer III, part of the DaytonAviation National Historical Park, and aNational Historic Landmark. Some of theexhibits relate to the National Road, and themuseum as a whole is a good place introductionto local history. The museum is open Aprilthrough October, seven days a week. SunWatchIndian Village/Archaeological Park recreates acirca 1200 Fort Ancient period settlement nearthe Great Miami River in Dayton.This NationalHistoric Landmark is one of the few publicarchaeological sites in the state. It offers thepublic a chance to try their hand at archaeologyin addition to conducting more standard toursand special events. The park is open Tuesdaythrough Sunday year round. The Dayton ArtInstitute provides an alternative to historicalsites. It houses a collection of 12,000 European,American and Asian art objects, hosts classicalmusic concerts and has an art reference library.It is open daily, with extended hours onThursdays.

The western byway hosts several festivals andevents. Each year, the town of South Viennaholds a Corn Festival. The Preble County PorkFestival is held annually during the third fullweek in September and celebrates the county’shog farming tradition. It offers food,entertainment, games and arts and crafts.

The western region of the byway is close to threesignificant educational institutions, thoughthey are not located directly on the byway.Wittenberg University in Springfield, AntiochCollege in nearby Yellow Springs, and theUniversity of Dayton in Dayton, offer a widerange of lectures, performances and exhibitsthat byway visitors could enjoy. This isparticularly true if such events are publicizedbeyond the immediate area of the college to thelarger community.

The rural, agricultural tradition of the westernregion of the byway is celebrated in many ways -- from local festivals to local businesses. Inaddition to area farm stands that sell seasonalproduce, visitors can get a taste of the region’sagricultural specialties at Young’s Jersey Dairynear Yellow Springs, south of Springfield. Thedairy is one of the region’s most popularattractions and offers a variety of family-oriented activities, including cow-milking, an icecream parlor and restaurants, miniature golfand batting cages.The dairy is open seven days aweek.

RECREATIONAL

The western region has the greatest diversityof recreational opportunities,ranging from stateand regional parks to county parks and hiker-biker trails.

Buck Creek State Park in Springfield is centeredaround the 2120-acre C.J. Brown Dam andReservoir. Activities available include boating,hunting and fishing, swimming, picnicking andeight miles of hiking trails, and cottages andcamping facilities. Sycamore State Park islocated a few miles south of the byway in theDayton area. It offers fishing, hunting, boating,picnicking, eight miles of hiking trails and 15miles of bridle trails.

The Dayton area’s park system is called the FiveRivers MetroParks.There are 20 MetroParks inthe Dayton vicinity, two of which lie directly on

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the National Road byway. TaylorsvilleMetroPark near Vandalia consists of 1293 acressurrounding the Great Miami River. Included inthis area are historic sites such as the ruins ofthe pike town of Tadmor and the Miami-ErieCanal, as well as nearly 13 miles of hiking trailsalong the Great Miami River and part of theBuckeye Trail, a 1200-mile long trail encirclingOhio. Other activities include picnicking, fishing(especially below the dam), sledding, cross-country skiing and canoeing. In nearbyEnglewood, Englewood MetroPark is a 1,925-acre park that includes the PumpkinAsh/Swamp Forest (a State Natural Landmark)and three waterfalls.Aullwood Garden, a 32-acreestate garden donated by Mrs.John Aull,adjoinsAullwood Audubon Center (see below).Englewood MetroPark has 12 miles of hikingtrails, guided trail rides, picnicking, fishing,canoeing, bicycling (paved path as well as a bikelane marked on main park road) and cross-country skiing. Both MetroParks are open dailyexcept Christmas and New Year’s Day, andrestrooms are available. Carriage HillMetroPark, located just south of the byway inDayton, offers byway visitors a chance to learnabout the agricultural traditions of the region.It is a 900-acre historical farm with a visitorcenter and farm history demonstrations. Otheractivities include fishing, five miles of hikingtrails, guided trail rides, and cross-countryskiing.The park is open daily.

Two notable county parks are located near thebyway as well. George Rogers Clark Park,located in Clark County south of Springfield,is a200-acre park that includes the 1854 HertzlerHouse and the site of the 1780 Battle ofPeckuwe. This was the largest battle of theAmerican Revolution west of the AlleghenyMountains, and resulted in the Shawnee beingdriven out of the county. Other activitiesavailable at the park include hiking on five milesof nature trails through some old-growthforests, picnicking, fishing and non-motorizedboating on Hosterman Lake.The park hosts theFair at New Boston, a demonstration ofeighteenth-century frontier life, every LaborDay weekend as well.Two shelters are available,

and a new visitor center with views across thebattlefield and interpretation/historicaldisplays recently opened. Restrooms areavailable and the park is open daily.The MiamiCounty Park District maintains the CharlestonFalls Preserve in Tipp City, north of the byway.The 169-acre park has a 37-foot waterfall, twomiles of hiking trails, and a variety ofecosystems including a Tall Grass prairie.

The western section of the byway has severalhiker-biker trails that reach well beyond thebyway corridor,making it possible for visitors tomake regional connections to the byway. TheLittle Miami Scenic Trail links Springfield andMilford in Clermont County over 69 miles of theformer Little Miami Railroad. The routegenerally follows the Little Miami River and is a

Englewood MetroPark, part of the Five Rivers MetroPark system inDayton

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The 1854 Hertzler House is located within George Rogers Clark Park

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paved, shared-use trail. Linking into this is theBuck Creek Trail, which connects to the LittleMiami Scenic Trail at Center and JeffersonStreets in Springfield. It shares right-of-way for0.8 miles along Fountain and Limestone Streetsuntil it reaches a dedicated shared-use trailalong Buck Creek that is 3.1 miles long.The trailfollows Buck Creek to Pumphouse Road, justoutside Buck Creek State Park.A connection tothe State Park is envisioned for the future.TheBuckeye Trail passes through TaylorsvilleMetroPark on its route between Cincinnati andToled, which eventually encircles the entirestate.The Wolf Creek Rail Trail in Dayton is partof the Five Rivers MetroParks system.It followsthe old Baltimore & Ohio Railroad from justnorth of Route 40 to Olive Road just west ofDayton.

Among private recreational facilities along thewestern portion of the byway, one of the mostoutstanding ones is Aullwood Audubon Centerand Farm in Englewood. Adjoining AullwoodGarden in Englewood MetroPark,the Center is a350-acre wildlife sanctuary that highlights thenative flora and fauna of west central Ohio,making it an excellent way for visitors to thebyway to learn about the natural environmentthrough which they are traveling.The Center hassix miles of hiking trails, a nature center, a neweducation center and gift shop, and an organicfarm. It is open daily except most majorholidays. Other private recreational facilitiesinclude canoe liveries on Mad River, south ofGeorge Rogers Clark Park in Clark County, andFrance Lake Park in Preble County, whereswimming and picnicking are available.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL

For the purposes of the byway inventory,archaeological qualities of the National Roadhave been divided into two classes. The first areresources that are easily accessible and, moreimportant, are already developed and open to

the public. These resources are geared towardprehistoric archaeology, and include everythingfrom visible mounds to museums withinterpretive displays. The second group ofresources are largely culled from a series of 41sites documented by Gray & Pape’s 1998 surveyof archaeological sites associated with theNational Road. While only three of them arepresently open to the public,several private sitesare described here with the intent that theyhave the potential to be developed for publicinterpretation at a later date. As a whole, thisgroup of resources represents a sample of therange of known historic archaeological sitesalong the National Road.

There is one public archaeological site located inthe western region of the National Road andtwo other sites located on private property thathad previously been identified by Gray & Papein their 1998 study and were revisited in August2000.All three sites described below were notedas having (1) good archaeological integrity, (2)ready access, and (3) public interpretationpotential.These are described below.

MASSIE/OLINGER TAVERN, CLARK COUNTY

The Massie/Olinger Tavern and Stage Stop(33Cl427) in Brighton, on privately ownedproperty, has good potential for publicinterpretation. Gray & Pape’s archaeologicalwork at the site in 1998 identified privy and wellshaft features that could contain intact archae-ological deposits dating to the nineteenthcentury stagecoach era along the NationalRoad. Oral history indicated an area on the sitewhere blacksmithing activities took place,although this history could be tempered byexcavations on a larger scale than wereconducted at that time. Based on the results ofthe archaeological work, the site wasrecommended eligible for listing on the NationalRegister.

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PENNSYLVANIA HOUSE, SPRINGFIELD, CLARK COUNTY

In 1998, archaeological investigations wereconducted at the c.1820s Pennsylvania House,aSpringfield tavern site that is listed on theNational Register. In addition to a buried brickand stone pavement, the corner of a fieldstonefooter for an outhouse was identified, enclosingthe brick lining for a privy shaft. The site wasconsidered to have retained intact archae-ological deposits, which may date to the earlyuse of the tavern along the National Road. ThePennsylvania House is currently operated as ahouse museum by the Lagonda Chapter of theDaughters of the American Revolution.Although the museum does not currentlyinterpret the tavern’s archaeology, the fact thatthe structure is open to the public indicates thatthe site’s archaeology could be explored ingreater detail for public interpretation.

VILLAGE OF TADMOR (33MY411), MONTGOMERY

COUNTY

The archaeological remains of a nineteenthcentury National Road village known asTadmor are found within TaylorsvilleMetroPark, north of Dayton in MontgomeryCounty. The impoundment of the Great Miamiforced the abandonment of Tadmor, which waslocated on the west bank of the River at acritical transportation hub formed by theNational Road, the Miami-Erie Canal, and theDayton-Michigan Railroad. Archaeologicalreconnaissance in 1998 confirmed the survivalof potentially significant archaeologicalresources within the village. Although floodingand subsequent rail and utility constructionhave impacted the site, much of the villageappeared to remain archaeologically intact. Dueto time constraints, the site was not visited in2000. However,the site is open to the public andis readily accessible through TaylorsvilleMetroPark via the Buckeye Trail. In addition,an interpretive trail and signage erected as partof a local project,are already in place on the site.

Tadmor has been recommended eligible forlisting in the National Register and is viewed asa rare opportunity to conduct the archaeologyof a ghost town that once thrived along theNational Road.

NATURAL

One of the finest resources focusing onpreservation and interpretation of Ohio'snatural qualities is the Aullwood AudubonCenter and Farm,located in the Western Sectionof the byway.The facility is located along the US40 bypass around the Englewood Reserve northof Dayton in Montgomery County. Aullwoodbecame the Midwest's first nature center when itwas established in 1957. Visitors to the 350-acresanctuary may experience tall grass prairie likethat which once shared western Ohio with thebeech-maple forest. Some of these woods remainwithin Aullwood, as do wetlands, meadows, andponds. The sanctuary remains the NationalRoad's premier site for observing Ohio's nativefauna, especially birds. Aullwood's new naturecenter, which stands as a hallmark of “green”architectural design, is open to the public and isnearly complete.

The Englewood Reserve borders the AullwoodCenter and is contained within EnglewoodMetroPark, one in a system of MontgomeryCounty MetroParks. Englewood MetroPark,situated around the Stillwater River, includes aremnant swamp forest which has been

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Aullwood Audubon Center preserves and interprets Ohio’s natural history

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designated an Ohio State Natural Landmark.Like all MetroParks, Englewood is designed tobe a public park and features trails, fishing,bikeways, and other recreational amenities. Italso contains Aullwood House and Garden, ahistoric house and public garden listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.Two otherMetroParks with similar access to Ohio'snatural legacy are located along the NationalRoad in Montgomery County: TaylorsvilleMetroPark, situated above the Taylorsville Damon the Great Miami River, and Carriage HillMetroPark, located east of SR 201 at Brandt.Both Taylorsville and Englewood MetroParksare part of the Miami Conservancy District, a6300-acre reserve set aside to manage the GreatMiami River Basin in western Ohio. This districtis the western counterpart of the MuskingumWatershed Conservancy District. Anothersignificant watershed in the Western Section ofthe byway is the Stillwater River in MontgomeryCounty, which is one of several Ohio ScenicRivers along the National Road.

Other expansive natural areas in the WesternSection of the National Road may be found atstate facilities like Buck Creek State Park/C.J.Brown Lake and Clark Lake State Wildlife Areain Clark County, and Sycamore State Park andStillwater State Wildlife Area in MontgomeryCounty. Sycamore State Park characterizes thelevel to gently rolling terrain of western Ohio.While second growth forestry is taking place atSycamore, the community of plant and animalspecies found along Wolf Creek is morerepresentative of the mixed prairie/forest thatonce dominated western Ohio. Opportunities toexperience Ohio's natural qualities abound atthe state's system of parks and wildlife areas;camping, fishing, birdwatching, and hiking aresupported at most facilities. One of theprivately operated facilities along the WesternSection is Mad River Reserve in Clark County.Mad River Reserve, a 15-acre nature preserveoperated by the Woodland Indian Heritage

Society, is dedicated to preserving both thenatural qualities of western Ohio and thehistory and culture of the area's WoodlandIndians.

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Buck Creek in Clark County

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new chapter 3: intrinsic qualities · 2016. 6. 8. · review of resources that fall into one or...

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