Ohio Historic National Road Scenic Byway – The Pike
In Ohio the National Road was known as “The Pike.” This was short for turnpike, which was typically a multi-lane, limited access highway. It was the precursor to the modern Interstate Highway. The National Road was designed as a multi-state roadway with no signal lights to slow traffic. Growing up along the highway were “Pike Towns.” These towns provided food, fuel for vehicles, motels and hotels for convenient overnight stays. In earlier days, pioneers and settlers traveling by horse and wagon needed certain provisions to house animals and food for horses.
Start to Finish
Beginning in Cumberland, Maryland, the National Road navigates through five other states – namely, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. The stars on the National Road Ohio logo represent the six member states. The Ohio portion is 228 miles from the western edge of Wheeling, West Virginia, at the Ohio River to the Indiana border just 15 miles west of Van Wert, Ohio. The historic federally funded highway terminated in Vandalia, Illinois, connecting the eastern seaboard with the western territories of the United States.
The National Road, today known mostly as US 40, was built between 1811 and 1834 to reach the western settlements. It was the first federally funded road in U.S. history. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson believed that for America to thrive, what was needed was a major national road that had to be built to cross the Appalachian Mountains. Governmental leaders wanted to open the mid-west and points further west to populations, immigrants, land speculation, and commerce. They felt that such a major roadway could unify the young country and enhance development beyond the Eastern seaboard.
It established the famous, numbered “Mile Marker Monuments” as an assist for travelers. US 40 opened the nation to the west and became a corridor for the movement of goods and people. Today, visitors can experience a “Back in time travel experience.” Instead of taking the Interstate, the traveler can enjoy a “casual ride” and appreciate the diners, “filling stations,” historical hotels, and cottage motels. Museums hold antique automobiles, signs, and artifacts that used to be found in businesses, on farms, in homes, and the workplace. Explore flea markets, antique stores, and unique eateries. Some places have reenactments of past times. Named US 40 in 1926, the roadway was known as nation’s “Main Street.”
Places to visit
- National Road/Zane Grey Museum – The Museum was constructed to interpret National Road history.
Owned by the Ohio Historical Society, the museum features a diorama, photographs and other exhibits of life on the Road and the vehicles that traveled it. Related exhibits feature the works of western writer and Zanesville native Zane Grey and the famous Zanesville art pottery industry of the early twentieth century. - Hillside Motel and Plaza Motel – Two well-maintained examples of 1950s family-owned roadside motels, each still open 24 hours a day.
- Ebbert Farm Market – Dominated by an 1864 Italianate farmhouse, this site is typical of the prosperous farms that once had fruit stands along the road.
- Salt Fork S-Bridge – Salt Fork S-Bridge is a good place to examine the early engineering technique of aligning a bridge to cross a stream at a structurally sound 90 degrees.
- John and Annie Glenn Historic Site – Housed in John Glenn’s boyhood home, the John and Annie Glenn Historic Site
Owned by the Ohio Historical Society, the museum features a diorama, photographs and other exhibits of life on the Road and the vehicles that traveled it. Related exhibits feature the works of western writer and Zanesville native Zane Grey and the famous Zanesville art pottery industry of the early twentieth century.Ohio National Road map: https://nsbfoundation.com/nb/historic-national-road-oh/
Ohio Byways: https://nsbfoundation.com/ohio/