National Road (Cambridge, Ohio) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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National Road
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Peacock Road, also known as Old National Road
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 Location in Ohio
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Cambridge, Ohio |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1918 |
| Architect | State of Ohio |
| NRHP reference No. | 85001842 |
| Added to NRHP | August 23, 1985 |
The National Road, also known as Peacock Road, is a very old and important road in Ohio. You can find it near Cambridge and Old Washington, just off U.S. Route 40. This special road was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 because of its historical value.
Contents
History of the National Road
Building America's First Highway
Imagine a time when traveling across the country was super hard! There were no big highways. To make travel easier, President Thomas Jefferson approved building the National Road on March 29, 1806. It was one of the first major roads built by the United States government.
The road first stretched to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Later, it was made even longer, reaching all the way to Jefferson City, Missouri. This new road followed a path that was already there, called Zane's Trace. It came through the Guernsey County area around 1838.
A Road for the Future
The part of the National Road we now call Peacock Road has original brick sections. These bricks were laid in 1918. Building roads with bricks was expensive back then. Because of the high cost, some parts of the road were not paved for a long time.
During World War II, the road became very important. It was used to move supplies for the war effort. To finish paving the road quickly and save money, local workers helped lay the remaining bricks.
How Peacock Road Was Saved
Later, the main U.S. Route 40 was moved to a different path, north of this old section. Because the new road went around it, the original Peacock Road was left mostly untouched. This accidental change helped save this historic part of the road for everyone to see today!
Peacock Road's Special Story
The section of the National Road known as Peacock Road is very unique. It still looks almost exactly as it did in the early 1900s. Very few changes have happened since the 1920s. The bricks that were laid in 1918 are still there!
This special part of the road runs for about 5 miles (8 kilometers). It goes east to west between Old Washington and Cambridge. It's like a time capsule, showing us how roads used to be built.
