Over Memorial Day weekend in 2011, my dog Gracie and I explored the National Road all the way across Ohio. That road is now US 40 in most places. I’m bringing the long trip report over from my old Roads site.
St. Clairsville is about 5 miles up the road from the bridges at Blaine. And when I say up the road, I mean up the road!
My chief impression of St. Clairsville was that it once had a grand age.
The Belmont County Courthouse was remarkably difficult to photograph, even with my camera’s wide-angle lens, because the courthouse was so big and US 40 was so narrow. I couldn’t back up enough to get a good head-on shot.
Many Old National Road milestones remain along the road across eastern Ohio. This one stands in front of the courthouse. The plaque attached to it says it was relocated. It probably wasn’t relocated far, as Zanesville is about 63 miles away via I-70.
This is the 1890 Clarendon Hotel, which as of this writing was owned by the city of St. Clairsville and is undergoing restoration. It is called one of the oldest continuously operating hotels on the National Road.
I really enjoyed St. Clairsville’s historic architecture.
Next: Some old alignments of US 40 and the National Road in Belmont County.
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