(Posted Sept. 16, 2015)
By Jeff Pfeil, Staff Photographer
Dean Ringle (left), past president of the Ohio National Road Association, and Ron Garver, West Jefferson council president, unveil replacement mile marker 272.
The National Road, the nation’s first federally funded interstate highway, runs from Maryland to Illinois. A portion of the road (Route 40) runs through West Jefferson.
At one time, markers appeared at regular intervals along the road. In Ohio, each marker indicated the distance to Cumberland, Md., at the top center, and the name of and mileage to the nearest city or village for eastbound and westbound travelers.
The Ohio National Road Association heads up a marker restoration program as one way to preserve the history of the road. The new replacement marker sits at the corner of Walnut Street and Route 40 in West Jefferson, very close to the original marker’s location. The unveiling took place on Sept. 5 during the Ox Roast parade in West Jefferson.
