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Introduction
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Zane's Trace is the name for a frontier
road constructed under the direction of Col. Ebenezer Zane
through the Northwest
Territory of the United States
(in what is now the state of Ohio).
The road was constructed during 1796 and 1797, ran from Wheeling, Virginia
(now Wheeling,
West Virginia) to Maysville
in the relatively new state of Kentucky,
and was a little over 230 miles long.
Some other names for Zane's Trace at various locations along its route
were Tod's Trace, Maysville Road, Maysville Pike,
Limestone Road, Limestone and Chillicothe Road, Zanesville Pike and Wheeling
Road. After serving in the Continental Army
in the American
Revolutionary War, Col. Zane traveled to Washington,
D.C., in early 1796 to petition Congress
for money to finance the construction of a road that would encourage
settlement in the Northwest
Territoryand
speed up travel times to Kentucky. Zane would profit by construction of the
road, both because he owned most of the land at its starting point of Wheeling,
and also because he intended to buy tracts of land along the route (see
below). Congress approved a contract financing the project in May, 1796. Col.
Zane was assisted in overseeing the construction by his brother, Jonathan
Zane, and his son-in-law, John McIntire, as well as by a Native American
guide, Tomepomehala. Col. Zane took advantage of
existing Native American trails for some of the route, including the Mingo
Trail in the area between present day Fairview, Ohio,
and Zanesville,
Ohio, and the Moxahala
Trail in the area between present day Zanesville, Ohio, and Chillicothe,
Ohio. |
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Chillicothe was the only settlement
along the route which existed at the time of its construction. The Trace was
constructed through heavily forested,
hilly terrain, and at first was not easily traveled by wagon. After Ohio
became a state in 1803, a state transportation tax was levied and used in
1804 to improve the entirety of the Trace, clearing out stumps and widening
the thoroughfare. Between 1825 and 1830, the segment of Zane's Trace between
Wheeling and Zanesville was rebuilt as part of the new National Road. The rivers and streams along the Trace were
crossed by ford or ferry. Col. Zane ran a ferry across the Ohio River at
Wheeling, where a bridge was not available until 1837. Ferries across Wills
Creek in present day Cambridge, Ohio,
were run by Ezra Graham, George |
Click on the map to view a full-sized image |
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and Henry Beymer, and John Beatty. William McCulloch and Henry Crooks
ran a ferry across the Muskingum River
from Zanesville to Putnam, Ohio (now also a part of Zanesville). A bridge was
built over the Muskingum River in 1813. A bridge was present over the Hocking River
near Lancaster,
Ohio, as early as 1809. Benjamin Urmston ran the ferry across the Scioto River at Chillicothe.
Ferries ran across the Ohio River
to Maysville, Kentucky, and eventually the town of Aberdeen, Ohio,
was founded in 1816 on the Ohio side of the river. A bridge was not built
connecting Aberdeen and Maysville until 1931. To follow Zane's Trace today, start at
Wheeling and follow U.S. 40 west to Zanesville. From Zanesville, follow U.S.
22 southwest to Lancaster. Just west of Lancaster turn on S.R. 159 and follow
it southwest to Chillicothe. From Chillicothe, follow U.S. 50 west to
Bainbridge. Then follow S.R. 41 southwest to Aberdeen on the Ohio River.
Zane’s Trace travels through 11 counties in Ohio. |
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Road Trip
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If you have traced your 18th
or 19th century ancestors to any of the counties listed below it
is quite possible that they traveled to that location along this migration
route. Therefore you may find
additional relevant information about your ancestral lineages by taking the
following road trip through these localities. |
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COUNTY (Road
Trip Segment) |
COUNTY (Road
Trip Segment) |
COUNTY (Road
Trip Segment) |
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Adams County, OH (5) Belmont County, OH (1) Bracken County, KY (5) Brooke County, WV (1) Brown County, OH (5) Campbell County, KY
(5) Clermont County, OH
(5) Clinton County, OH (4) Coshocton
County, OH (2) Fairfield County, OH
(3) Fayette County, OH (4) Fleming County, KY (5) |
Guernsey County, OH (1,2) Harrison County, OH
(1) Harrison county, KY
(5) Highland County, OH
(4) Hocking County, OH (3) Jefferson County, OH (1) Lewis County, KY (5) Licking County, OH (2) Marshall County, WV (1) Mason County, KY (5) Monroe County, OH (1) Morgan County, OH (2) |
Muskingum County, OH
(2) Nicholas County, KY
(5) Noble County, OH (1,2) Ohio County, WV (1) Pendleton County, KY (5) Perry County, OH (2) Pickaway County, OH
(3) Pike County, OH (4) Robertson County, KY
(5) Ross County, OH (3,4) Tuscarawas County, OH
(1) Vinton County, OH (3) |
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Genealogy Road Trip
This “Family History Road Trip” is divided into
segments that require between 1 and 2 hours of driving time. The entire 234 mile journey should take approximately 5 hours to
drive at 50 miles per hour. Within each segment you will find links to resources
that will assist you in planning a successful and enjoyable experience. The following maps are designed to show a
close-up view of the counties and communities along this historical route. |
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From: Wheeling, WV To: Cambridge, OH |
From: Cambridge, OH To: Somerset, OH |
From: Somerset, OH To: Kinnikinnick, OH |
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From: Kinnikinnick, OH To: Sinking Spring, OH |
From: Sinking Spring, OH To: Maysville, KY |
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Segment 1
From: Wheeling,
WV To: Cambridge,
OH |
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Driving
Distance = 51 miles; Driving Time =
approximately 1.00 hours |
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Our road trip begins at Wheeling,
West Virginia. Start at 1401 Main Street where the Visitor’s Center is located within the Wheeling’s
Downtown Historic District. The
district includes 205 contributing buildings in the central business district
of Wheeling. It includes the site of the original location of Fort Henry. It
also includes the separately listed West Virginia Independence Hall
and Baltimore
and Ohio Passenger Terminal. To leave Wheeling from the Visitor’s Center go one block on 16th
street and turn left onto Market Street north to its intersection with routes
Interstate
70 / US Route 40 and US Route 250 then proceed west over the river. Take the Zane Street Exit to follow US
Route 40. Continue to follow the US
Rt. 40 signage as Zane St. transitions to Main St. on the west side of the river. Leave Wheeling on US Rt. 40 (National Road) towards St.
Clairsville, Ohio, the county
seat of Belmont County,
Ohio. Beyond
St. Clairsville US Rt. 40 will transition to
Interstate 70. Stay on this route to the village of Old Washington in Guernsey County.
Here US Rt. 40 will depart the Interstate. Proceed on from Old
Washington to Cambridge, Ohio the seat of Guernsey County. Cambridge
is well-known among glass collectors as being the location for |
Click on the map to view a full-sized image |
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the Cambridge
Glass, Boyd Glass
and Mosser
Glass plants. The Cambridge area
is also famous for its "S"
shaped bridges, dating back to the building
of the National Road
in 1828. |
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Use the following LINKS to find
information about the counties and localities found along this segment of the
Route. |
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Segment 2
From: Cambridge,
OH To: Somerset, OH |
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Driving Distance = 50 miles; Driving Time = approximately 1.00 hours |
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Leave Cambridge via US Rt. 40 towards Zanesville, the seat of Muskingum
County, Ohio. Located
at Zanesville is the famous Y-shaped bridge (called the
"Y-Bridge") spans the confluence of the Licking
and Muskingum
rivers. Listed on the National
Register of Historic Places, it is the only bridge of
its type in the United States. It has been rebuilt numerous times since the
1850s. You will leave US Rt. 40 in downtown Zanesville by turning left
onto S. 6th Street and following signage for US Route 22 (Maysville Pike) to Somerset, Ohio. The
village of Somerset was established in 1810 by settlers from Somerset, Pennsylvania
at the spot on Zane's
Trace located midway between Lancaster
and Zanesville.
Saint Joseph
Church, the oldest Catholic church
in Ohio, is located just outside of Somerset on State Route 383. |
Click on the map to view a full-sized image |
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Use the following LINKS to find
information about the counties and localities found along this segment of the
Route. |
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Segment 3
From: Somerset,
OH To: Kinnikinnick, OH |
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Driving Distance = 48 miles; Driving Time = approximately 1.00 hours |
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Leave Somerset via US Route 22 (W. Main Street) and continue
southwest through the village of Rushville to Lancaster, Ohio the seat of Fairfield County. The
U.S. Government awarded Ebenezer Zane square-mile
tracts of land at the points where his trace crossed the Hocking,
Muskingum,
and Scioto
rivers. After the trace was completed
by 1797, Zane's sons began to carve the square-mile tract astride the Hocking
into saleable plots, the city of Lancaster formally
came into being in 1800. Depart
Lancaster on US Route 22. A short
distance beyond the junction with US Route 33 you will turn left onto Ohio State Route 159
towards Chillicothe. Continue on through the village of Tarlton
located in Fairfield
and Pickaway
counties. Tarlton was originally
settled and called Newellstown in 1801, and was
probably the first settlement in Pickaway
County, Ohio.
Nearby Tarlton is the Cross Mound, which was built
by the pre-Columbian
Mound Builders. Continue on through Kingston
in Ross County
to Kinnikinnick located at the
junction of Ohio State Route 159
and Ohio State Route 180
16.6 miles north-northeast of Chillicothe. |
Click on the map to view a full-sized image |
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Use the following LINKS to find
information about the counties and localities found along this segment of the
Route. |
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Segment 4
From: Kinnikinnick, OH To: Sinking
Spring, OH |
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Driving Distance = 42 miles; Driving Time =
approximately 1.00 hours |
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From Kinnikinnick
continue on SR 159 into Chillicothe
the seat of Ross County.
Chillicothe was
the center of the ancient Hopewell tradition,
which flourished from 200 BCE
until 500 CE.
This Amerindian culture had trade routes extending to the Rocky
Mountains. They built earthen
mounds
for ceremonial and burial purposes throughout the Scioto and Ohio
River valleys. It
was after the American Revolution
that most European settlement came to this area. Migrants from Virginia
and Kentucky moved west
along the Ohio River in search of land. Chillicothe served as the capital of
Ohio from the beginning of statehood in 1803 until 1810. In
the center of Chillicothe turn right onto US Route 50
west and continue on through Bourneville
to Bainbridge. Bainbridge and Chillicothee were two of the fourteen
early towns, surveyed and plotted by General Nathaniel
Massie on his land grant in what
became the State
of Ohio. The Harris Dental Museum, the first dental
school in the United States, is located in Bainbridge. Soon after passing through
Bainbridge turn left onto Ohio State Route 41. Follow this route to the village of |
Click on the map to view a full-sized image |
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Sinking Spring
in Highland County, Ohio. An
unusually shaped octagonal schoolhouse constructed in 1831 is found in
Sinking Spring. |
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Use the following LINKS to find
information about the counties and localities found along this segment of the
Route. |
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Segment 5
From: Sinking
Spring, OH To: Maysville,
KY |
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Driving Distance = 43 miles; Driving Time =
approximately 1.00 hours |
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From Sinking Spring continue south on SR 41 through the communities of Peebles and West Union in Adams County, to Aberdeen, in Brown County, Ohio. Aberdeen
was founded in 1796 by James Edwards on the north shore of the Ohio River, at
the site where a ferry had sprung up between Fishing Gut Creek and Maysville,
Kentucky. It was named for Aberdeen, Scotland, the birthplace of James
Edwards. Aberdeen was incorporated in 1816, by Nathan Ellis, another early
settler to that region. Aberdeen
is connected to Maysville, Kentucky
by the Simon Kenton Memorial Bridge
to downtown Maysville and the William H. Harsha
Bridge. |
Click on the map to view a full-sized image |
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Use the following LINKS to find
information about the counties and localities found along this segment of the
Route. |
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Internet Resources
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The Google search engine button and following web sites
may provide you |
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with additional information to assist with your research about this topic.
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Download a free 2-page Fact Sheet |
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about American migration routes |
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The
following Link
will take you to our library of genealogy reference books. Here you will find books about historic American roads, trails, and paths. In addition, there are texts that pertain
to ethnic and religion groups, history, geography as well as other books that will
assist you with your research. |
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This Link will take you to our |
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collection of reference books. |
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Image Gallery
During our research we have collected images and
photographs that are of general interest to a variety of historic American
roads, trails and migration. Some of
them are presented on this website because we believe they tend to provide
the reader with additional information which may aid in the understanding of
this topic as well as our ancestors past lives. |
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Use this LINK to see the “Image |
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Gallery” that
pertains to this topic. |
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Use
the power of Google™ to find more interesting images about this topic. This
button will link you to the Google Images Search page.
Enter the topic
you are |
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searching in the box and click “Search Images”. At the “Images”
display page you will see the image, as well as the website of which it
is associated. |
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About this webpage
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CONTACT INFORMATION
We do
like to hear from others who are researching the same people and surnames. We
need your help to keep growing! So
please Email
photos, stories, and other
appropriate information about this topic. RULES OF USE We only ask that if you have a personal website
please create a link to our Home Page. -- This
webpage was last updated on -- 01 July 2013 |
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