Historic National Road – OH

Two well-maintained examples of 1950s family-owned roadside motels, each still open 24 hours a day.

Dominated by an 1864 Italianate farmhouse,
this site is typical of the prosperous farms
that once had fruit stands along the road.

St Clairsville, originally known as Newelstown, was platted in 1803, over two decades before the arrival of the National Road. The St. Clairsville Historic District (East and West Main Streets between Butler and Sugar Streets) is listed on the National Register of Historic Places

A pre-1815 three-bay “I” house with nicely carved sandstone lintels. This was the home of Benjamin Lundy, an early abolitionist and St. Clairsville’s most famous citizen.

A rare example of an L-shaped 1940s brick “motor court.”

Founded in 1828, Hendrysburg is the birthplace of William Boyd (Hopalong Cassidy), famous for his westerns. Hendrysburg is a good location from which to view three generations of road building, the old National Road, U.S. 40 and Interstate 70.

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.

The 1883 courthouse was designed by Columbus architect J.W. Yost. It is a fine example of the Second Empire style.

1834 log house where William Rainey Harper was born in 1856. Harper went on to become the first President of the University of Chicago.

Paul Hall is the oldest surviving building on campus. This handsome Victorian Italianate building with its round arch windows and doors is quite typical of the "Old Mains" that served many private nineteenth century liberal arts colleges.

Housed in John Glenn’s boyhood home, the John and Annie Glenn Historic Site interprets the lives of the famous astronaut and his wife and relates the story of the twentieth century through the prism of their experiences during the Great Depression and on the home front during World War II.

Museum 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.

Nelson Gant was one of Zanesville’s most prominent African American citizens. Born into slavery in 1821, Gant received his freedom in 1845 and was eventually able to buy land for a farm in Zanesville. Here he grew specialty vegetables. Local tradition claims that he often hid escaping slaves in his vegetable wagon to assist them from one safe house to another. Gant also owned a coal mine, acquired more than 300 acres and died a self-made millionaire.

A large granite rock with an inscription commemorating the concrete paving of the National Road from Zanesville to Hebron, from 1914 to 1916.

Utilized as the Franklin County Fairgrounds from 1886 to 1894. 88 acres of indoor/outdoor art & nature-based exhibits, greenhouses & landscaped grounds.

Day 1
Starting at the easternmost point of the Ohio portion of Historic National Road in the city of St. Clairsville, your journey has officially begun! As you make your way towards Old Washington and Cambridge you are going to pass some historically significant sites to this area. These sites include the Brick and Lentz Tavern, multiple Old Road “Segments”, one of the famous “S” Bridges that populate this road, and much more. Once you reach Cambridge, you will find yourself near Salt Fork Lake and Salt Fork Lake State Park where there are plenty of recreational opportunities to enjoy the lake. Continuing on, you can stop at even more historic sites. In New Concord and the surrounding area, notable locations include John and Annie Glenn Historic Site, a section of the road that is paved in brick, the National Road-Zane Grey Museum, and much more that you will notice along the way. While you will end your first day along this road in the city of Columbus, you still have plenty of time to explore some of the notable locations along this portion of the Byway. Buckeye Lake and its State Park is the perfect way to relax before you reach the State Capital, with Dawes Arboretum in proximity. After that, find a hotel in Columbus and spend the night to get ready for tomorrow.

Day 2
Once you get back on the road after experiencing the Capital, continue west and you will instantly find more historic sites. Right outside of Columbus is the Camp Chase Military and Prison, which played an important role in the Civil War. From there, drive until you reach the city of Springfield, where there is so much history to be found. Here you can find the Heritage Center of Clark County, one of the many Madonnas of the Trail Statues along this road, and the Pennsylvania House, all of which contain incredible history of the area and the country. Next up, and your last stop along this Byway in Ohio will be the city of Englewood. The Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm and the Englewood Metro Park are located here, which are wonderful stops along the way. While your journey may end here, there are still so many different ways to experience this historic road, so turn back around and stop by some of the places that you may have missed!