Welcome to Belmont County
Crossing right through Belmont County is the Historic National Road. Follow in the footsteps of pioneers and settlers who blazed the trail westward on the first federal highway to cross state lines. Explore historic markers and landmarks that tell the story of American history on what is known as the “Main Street of America.”
Visit Ohio’s official Bicentennial Bridge, the 1828 Blaine Hill “S” Bridge, a stone structure that is on
e of the last of its kind, or learn about Betty Zane’s heroic efforts during the Revolutionary War at the Belmont County Heritage Museum in historic downtown St. Clairsville. Experience the nostalgia of a bygone era as you step through the doors of our fully restored one-room school, the Great Western Schoolhouse in St. Clairsville.
The Historic National Road in Belmont County stretches 28 miles and provides many opportunities to stop, explore, and learn. Take a journey through America’s past along the Historic National Road Scenic Byway as it winds across the countryside. Enjoy sightseeing in our historic downtown districts while shopping or indulging in the flavors of Appalachia at quaint cafes, farmers markets, and farm-to-table eateries.
Conveniently located along Interstate 70 between Pittsburgh and Columbus, Belmont County borders the Ohio River across from Wheeling, West Virginia. Belmont County offers a rural retreat with easy access to urban amenities.
If you want your scenic drive to include shopping and dining , travel the Historic National Road Byway or Route 40 and enjoy our charming small towns. The Historic National Road was the nation’s first federally funded interstate highway. It opened the nation to the west and became a corridor for the movement of goods and people. Today, travelers experience classic inns, diners, and motels that trace 200 years of American history on what is known as the “Main Street of America.”
Angelina Stone receives Milestone Historic Preservation Award
ST.CLAIRSVILLE OH (November 28, 2023) – The Ohio National Road Association recently presented the prestigious Milestone Historic Preservation Award to Mark White of Angelina Stone & Marble of Bridgeport for their work restoring a unique feature on the National Road in Licking County.
ONRA members John S Marshall and Jeff Aland presented the award to White, the project engineer for Angelina’s restoration of the Eagles Nest Monument in Licking County. The plaque, sponsored by ONRA Board Member Mike Peppe, reads: “For professional and exceptional workmanship in restoring the one-of-a-kind Eagles Nest Monument to its original glory on the Historic National Road.”
ONRA Mile Marker Project
The Mile Marker Grant Program was an application request submitted by Dean C. Ringle , through the Ohio
Scenic Byways program, to use Federal Funds to repair 10 existing National Road mile marker monuments and to install 10 new monuments at locations where the mile markers were missing within Madison, Franklin and Licking Counties. Once approved, an inventory was compiled and precise GPS surveys were performed to identify where the monuments are, or where they should be, located.
In the spring, the shipment of white granite monuments from India were delivered to the local firm of Columbus Art Memorial to finish the engraving of the new monuments. The initial four new monuments selected to be engraved were: Mile Marker 247 (in front of the Reynoldsburg Municipal Building to replace a marker too far deteriorated to repair), Mile Marker 252 (in Whitehall to replace a marker too far deteriorated to repair), Mile Marker 260 (on West Broad Street at the westbound entrance ramp to I-70 to replace a missing marker), and Mile Marker 267 (in the town of Alton to replace a long-time broken off monument).
Due to site conditions, Mile Marker 260 was selected to be the first of the new granite monuments to be set. After precisely locating the position and getting the proper permits, our first marker was successfully installed in December.
Gateway Kiosk Projects
ONRA with the assistances of Dean C. Ringle were successful in obtaining a grant to install an informational kiosk at the western-most rest area on eastbound I-70, in Preble County. Following that successful project, ONRA applied for and received another grant to install a similar kiosk at the eastern-most rest area on westbound I-70, in Belmont County. The same sign fabricators created the signs for the eastern kiosk, and the same installers were accepted to finish the installation at the rest area. The eastern kiosk was completed in December, with the final location being adjacent to a Mile Marker historical sign and a mile marker monument which had been previously installed by ODOT crews.
