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Norwich Historical Marker Dedication

May 6, 2007

In recognition of the 2006 Bicentennial of Thomas Jefferson’s signing of the legislation which authorized the construction of the Historic National Road, the Ohio Historical Society (OHS) awarded grants for three historical markers. These grants were funded through the Longaberger Legacy Initiative and its association with the Ohio Bicentennial Commission. On May 6, 2007 the last of the OHS National Road Bicentennial Markers was unveiled in Norwich near the site of the first recorded traffic fatality in Ohio. The marker is erected in front of the Malta Masonic Lodge #118, located on Main Street in Norwich. Represented at the ceremony were the Ohio Historical Society, the Ohio National Road Association (ONRA), District 16 Order of the Eastern Star and the National Road/Zane Grey Museum.

Alan King, former Director of the National Road/Zane Grey Museum, welcomed attendees and spoke about his research on Christopher Columbus Baldwin, whose death is commemorated with this marker.	New National Road/Zane Grey Director Mary Ellen Weingartner was presented with a Certificate of Recognition by Terry Fusner, Past Grand Patron District 16 Order of the Eastern Star.	Ohio Historical Society representative and ONRA Board member Glenn Harper spoke about the Ohio Historical Marker Program, National Road history, and the 2006 Bicentennial celebration.
A plaque was affixed to this stone “in memory of Christopher C. Baldwin” by the Norwich Boy Scout Troop No. 20, Rollin A. Allen, Scoutmaster in 1925.	The copy of Christopher Baldwin’s portrait that appears on the marker was provided by Ellen Dunlap, President of the American Antiquarian Society. The front text reads: As he traveled the National Road on August 20, 1835, the last diary entry by Christopher C. Baldwin, librarian for the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Massachusetts, was, “Start by stage on the Cumberland Road for Zanesville.” Baldwin never reached Zanesville or his ultimate destination, which was to investigate prehistoric mounds in southern Ohio on behalf of the Antiquarian Society. On that day, near this site, he was killed in what is considered to be the first traffic fatality recorded in Ohio. While passing a drove of hogs on the road, the horses pulling the stage became unmanageable and when the driver tried to check their speed on a decline, the stage turned over. Baldwin was riding with the driver and was killed when the stage rolled over on him. Due to the lateness of the season and the distance from his home, his remains were interred in Norwich.	The back text reads: Authorized by Congress in 1806, the National Road was the nation's first federally funded interstate highway. National leaders desired an all-weather road across the Allegheny Mountains in order to develop closer political and economic ties between the east and west. Considered to be a significant engineering feat, the Road opened Ohio and much of the Old Northwest Territory to settlement, provided access for Ohio goods to reach eastern markets, and enabled Ohio citizens to play important roles in the affairs of the new nation. The National Road was renowned for the number of quality inns and taverns during the heyday of the stagecoach. The Road declined after 1850 as railroads became the preferred method of travel. The automobile, however, brought new life to the Road. Reborn as U.S. 40, it became a busy twenty-four-hour-day artery, with truck stops, motor courts, and diners until superseded by the interstate highways in the 1960s.

Follow this link to see the text of Glenn Harper's speech