Thornville in Licking County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Eagles Nest
The Historic National Road in Ohio
Photographed By Rev. Ronald Irick, October 7, 2016
1. Eagles Nest Marker
Inscription.
Eagles Nest. The Historic National Road in Ohio. For nearly fifty years prior to 1914, almost no maintenance had been carried out on “the pike”, the National Road. By the early 20th century, bicyclists, automobile owners, postal service, and the trucking industry were demanding better roads. The large granite rock at this site, known as Eagles Nest, commemorates the experimental paving of a 29-mile section of the National Road from Zanesville to Hebron between 1914 and 1916. Arch W. Smith, of the Ohio State Highway Department called the newly paved highway, “the model concrete road of the world.” Chiseled in the granite rock are renderings of a Conestoga wagon, an early automobile, and the distances to Columbus (32 miles) and to Cumberland, Maryland (220 miles).
The inscription on the monument reads: , Old National Road Built 1825, Rebuilt 1914 Through the efforts of James M. Cox Governor of Ohio
The demand for improved roads led the federal government, under the Taft and Wilson administrations, to devise a plan to help states finance the building of experimental paved roads. The national government put up $120,000, with Licking and Muskingum counties contributing $240,000, and the State of Ohio adding another $80,000. The federal share was conditional that the road be rebuilt with concrete and not brick. Not everyone was happy with this plan. A protest from the brick manufacturers in Zanesville, who employed over 1,000 men led the president of the Zanesville Chamber of Commerce to declare, “If there is an ounce of red blood in our bodies, we will protest against this to the bitter end.” It was actually a simple case of cost. The federal government was willing to support the expense of the road building up to $16,000 a mile. Concrete construction could meet that figure, brick could not.
For nearly fifty years prior to 1914, almost no maintenance had been carried out on “the pike”, the National Road. By the early 20th century, bicyclists, automobile owners, postal service, and the trucking industry were demanding better roads. The large granite rock at this site, known as Eagles Nest, commemorates the experimental paving of a 29-mile section of the National Road from Zanesville to Hebron between 1914 and 1916. Arch W. Smith, of the Ohio State Highway Department called the newly paved highway, “the model concrete road of the world.” Chiseled in the granite rock are renderings of a Conestoga wagon, an early automobile, and the distances to Columbus (32 miles) and to Cumberland, Maryland (220 miles).
The inscription on the monument reads:
Old National Road
Built 1825, Rebuilt 1914
Through the efforts of James M. Cox
Governor of Ohio
The demand for improved roads led the federal government, under the Taft and Wilson administrations, to devise a plan to help states finance the building of experimental paved roads. The national government put up $120,000, with Licking and Muskingum counties contributing $240,000, and the State of Ohio adding another $80,000. The federal share was conditional that the road be rebuilt with concrete and not brick. Not everyone was happy with this plan. A
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protest from the brick manufacturers in Zanesville, who employed over 1,000 men led the president of the Zanesville Chamber of Commerce to declare, “If there is an ounce of red blood in our bodies, we will protest against this to the bitter end.” It was actually a simple case of cost. The federal government was willing to support the expense of the road building up to $16,000 a mile.
Concrete construction could meet that figure, brick could not.
Erected 2010 by The Ohio National Road Association, Inc.
Location. 39° 56.909′ N, 82° 16.119′ W. Marker is in Thornville, Ohio, in Licking County. Marker is on Old National Road (U.S. 40), on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 15051 National Road, Thornville OH 43076, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. A different marker also named Eagle’s Nest (here, next to this marker); The Gilbert W. Dilley Museum at Flint Ridge
Photographed By Rev. Ronald Irick, October 7, 2016
Photographed By Rev. Ronald Irick, October 7, 2016
3. Eagles Nest Marker
Marker as seen from a distance, the old and the new
Photographed By Rev. Ronald Irick, October 7, 2016
4. Eagles Nest Marker
The old granite boulder
Credits. This page was last revised on October 10, 2016. It was originally submitted on October 8, 2016, by Rev. Ronald Irick of West Liberty, Ohio. This page has been viewed 591 times since then and 51 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 8, 2016, by Rev. Ronald Irick of West Liberty, Ohio. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.