The Belmont County Heritage Museum Marks 200 Years of the National Road with “Milestones and Memories” Event
Two hundred years ago, history was made in Belmont County. On July 4, 1825, construction officially began on the National Road in Ohio—right in downtown St. Clairsville, near the courthouse where life and commerce still thrive today, according to a press release from Belmont County Tourism.
The tourism office plans to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the National Road and 10th anniversary of the Belmont County Heritage Museum at a commemorative open house called “Milestones and Memories,” from 4-6 p.m. Thursday, July 31, at the museum located next to the Belmont County Courthouse.
“The National Road wasn’t just a path—it was a lifeline that connected communities, commerce, and culture,” said Cathryn Stanley, Ohio National Road Association President. “Even today, its legacy is visible in our bridges, our brick streets and the stories we continue to tell.”
The tourism council release states the “National Road was dubbed ‘The Main Street of America’ and was the first federally funded highway in U.S. history, connecting the East Coast to the expanding western frontier. It was more than a road—it was a bold promise of progress and unity. Stretching from Baltimore to Illinois, the National Road ran directly through Belmont County, where early pioneers and business owners helped build not just a transportation network, but a foundation for national growth.”
The event will begin outdoors with a program featuring remarks from an Ohio National Road Association board member followed by a ceremonial groundbreaking by reenactor, Townsend Frasier, a symbolic gesture marking two centuries since the road’s 1825 start..
Judge Edmund A. Sargus Jr. and Tom Barrett, ODOT’s Historic Bridge Program Manager and State Byways Coordinator, will offer remarks.
Belmont County Commissioner Jerry Echemann will also provide remarks and share an update on the Ohio Department of Transportation TAP Grant that will fund a renovation of the courthouse plaza.
After the outdoor portion of the event concludes, visitors can make their way inside for free self-guided or guided museum tours of the museum that currently highlights a National Road exhibit as well as county history. Refreshments, including Kirke’s Homemade Ice Cream and cupcakes, will also be enjoyed.
Local history reenactors Tom Thomas, as Ebenezer Martin, Ann Rattine, as the Great Western School Marm, and Curtis Kyer, as St. Clairsville’s Colonel James Charlesworth, will be on hand to share local history.
St. Clairsville American Legion Post 159 will have on loan a surviving piece of the 25th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Battle Flag that was made by the ladies of St. Clairsville during the Civil War. The 25th, which was organized in St. Clairsville, witnessed 27 battles during the war.
“History isn’t something we visit—it’s something we live,” ONRA Board Member John S. Marshall said. “As we celebrate this 200th anniversary, we invite everyone to travel the Historic National Road—not just as tourists, but as participants in a story that continues to shape Belmont County and beyond.”
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