The National Road

When we were in the Zanesville area last year, we visited some National Road sites (http://trekincartwrights.blogspot.com/2017/07/a-busier-day-than-originally-planned.html) and were interested in the National Road / Zane Grey Museum, but it was closed on the days that we would have had time to visit it. So... we stopped for a visit on our way through Ohio on I-70 east on Thursday, September 20.

A mile marker on the grounds of the museum.

The museum is a combination of information and artifacts from the National Road, Author Zane Grey, and local clay art pottery.

First, National Road. A docent took us through the museum - he shared lots of information, but I won't be able to remember most of it!

There was a Conestoga wagon on display - this shows the "brake shoes" - which were actually old shoes used to provide friction between the wooden piece and the wheel!

There were great dioramas with detailed characters depicting the scenes told about in the text.

While our guide was telling us about the Conestoga wagon, he kept on saying that the only piece of equipment needed to maintain the wagon was a hammer - when he got to the front of the wagon, he showed us that the hammer was stored as a peg holding the cross-piece to the tongue of the wagon.

Early RVers boondocked on school grounds - there was a well from which they could draw water and an outhouse that could be used!

Early RVers!

A brass-era vehicle, Ford, I think!!

Look at the detail on the model in the diorama

The second portion of the museum - Zane Grey

I have never read "Riders of the Purple Sage", or any other Zane Grey books that I recall - I've put it on my wish list for the Yuma Library!

Zane Grey wanted to catch *big* fish, and at the time, the only way to get strong line was to get thicker line - so he had a *big* reel!

This was an example of a fuel pump that would have been found alongside the National Road. The guide told us that the customer would pump the amount of fuel he wanted to purchase into the clear glass upper portion and could inspect it for impurities or the presence of water in the fuel before putting it into his vehicle.

The last portion of the museum - Art Pottery

Tiles on the ceiling - our guide told us that the "Y" in the middle signified that they were made in Zanesville, from the Y-Bridge.

Before Styrofoam or burgers wrapped in paper, White Castle served them on plates!

We were glad that we got to visit the National Road / Zane Grey Museum.