New Concord in Muskingum County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Fox Creek "S" Bridge Park
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, May 26, 2005
1. Fox Creek "S" Bridge Park Marker
Inscription.
Fox Creek "S" Bridge Park. . The Fox Creek “S” Bridge is one of a series of such bridges which lined the path of the National Road. All but a handful were destroyed during the construction of U.S. Route 40. The National Road, completed here in 1828, “opened wide the doors to the West.” Every township crossed by the Road doubled its population in a decade. The entire National Road from Cumberland, Maryland, to Vandalia, Illinois, was bricked during World War I to accommodate military traffic. The Fox Creek “S” Bridge was the last section to be bricked. The photo below records this event in 1919. , The house at the top of the picture to the left is that of Robert West Speer, a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad. Speer was a Reformed Presbyterian (Covenanter). His denomination, as well as the Associate Presbyterians (Seceders) and the Associate Reformed Presbyterians made the Fox Creek/Crooked Creek area a bastion of Abolitionism before and during the Civil War.
The Fox Creek “S” Bridge is one of a series of such bridges which lined the path of the National Road. All but a handful were destroyed during the construction of U.S. Route 40. The National Road, completed here in 1828, “opened wide the doors to the West.” Every township crossed by the Road doubled its population in a decade. The entire National Road from Cumberland, Maryland, to Vandalia, Illinois, was bricked during World War I to accommodate military traffic. The Fox Creek “S” Bridge was the last section to be bricked. The photo below records this event in 1919.
The house at the top of the picture to the left is that of Robert West Speer, a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad. Speer was a Reformed Presbyterian (Covenanter). His denomination, as well as the Associate Presbyterians (Seceders) and the Associate Reformed Presbyterians made the Fox Creek/Crooked Creek area a bastion of Abolitionism before and during the Civil War.
Location. 39° 59.574′ N, 81° 44.765′ W. Marker is in New Concord, Ohio, in Muskingum County. Along US 40 (East Pike). Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: New Concord OH 43762, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 2, 2017. It was originally submitted on June 28, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 340 times since then and 10 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on June 28, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 7. submitted on June 30, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
