West of Fairview another old US 40 Town is Middlebourne. This town sits on the old highway west of OH 513. If you continue along the old highway past Middlebourne you will come to a paved section of the original National Trail that includes an 'S' Bridge you can still drive over. The bridge was built approximately in 1828. Mike Austing includes three photos below, which you can click to enlarge.
Looking East on Old US 40. Old US 40 is on the right. The old National Road and 'S' Bridge on the left. (Mike Austing) |
A wet snow cleared 'S' Bridge. Looking East. (Mike Austing) |
Looking west from the 'S' Bridge. Old US 40 runs close by. (Mike Austing) |
Modern US 40 leaves the Interstate and returns to the old alignment in Old Washington. You can still follow old US 40 through Old Washington as Mike Austing did. The old alignment disappears at the Guernsey County Fairgrounds. To take a tour of the old road through Old Washington just click on any of the five direct links below:
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Right: Main St. and original route through town. Left: Bypasses town and later US 40 towards Cambridge. |
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west from Old Washington and towards I-77, be on the lookout for Peacock
Road. Peacock Road is a former alignment of the National Road that
still uses brick pavement.
Guernsey County Rte 450. It is an old alignment of the National Road. This alignment is complete with a narrow roadway, twisty curves, and is an easy drive for those searching remains of the old road. US 40 then heads to Cambridge, county seat of Guernsey County, where it meets up with US 22. Both routes share the same highway to Zanesville. Another great old road, US 21, ran through Cambridge, but was decommissioned in the 1960s. West of Cambridge you can find a few old alignments of the National Road. County Route 430, Manilla Road, begins after US 22/40 crosses over the railroad tracks just west of downtown. It ascends the hillside that runs on the southern side of US 40. It then winds its way down to US 40 and continues across the current alignment. There is a Sunoco station at this intersection. There is still a brick paved segment of this highway (County Rte. 430) in the Sunoco side of this intersection! It runs for about 100 feet. The brick is in surprisingly excellent condition and is a deep red. Cambridge is the county seat of Gurnsey County and is well known for manufacturing glassware. The National Cambridge Collectors, Inc. hosts a museum within the city that is dedicated to the preservation of Cambridge Glass. During the Christmas holiday season, Cambridge hosts the Dickens Victorian Village. The shops of Cambridge's Main Street transform into an old English village from the author Charles Dickens' era. |
Peacock Road (Mike Kentner, June 2, 2007)
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One of the many remnants of the National Road in the Buckeye State is the 'S' Bridge outside of Cambridge. Built around 1828, the bridge is part of a roadside park.
Photo taken by The
Bee Family.
A close-up of the Historical
Marker for the bridge. It explains why and how 'S' Bridges were built.
(The Bee Family)
The National Road in Ohio is full of various road, historical, and Americana features. From the famous 'Y' Bridge in Zanesville to the Zane Grey Museum and through the numerous farming towns, some of the most colorful stories along this road are found in Ohio. If you would like to assist in this project, please e-mail me at aprince27@gmail.com.
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Page Created: August 25, 2002
Last Updated: July 5, 2007
© 2002-07 William Lawson
