Part of West Jefferson’s downtown along U.S. 40 is shown above. (Credit: Ken Drenten)

By Ken Drenten

After completing work on the National Road in Columbus in 1833-34, work progressed westward in Ohio toward the Indiana line.

That’s where I pointed my trusty Subaru Outback this week to continue recording video of the National Road and U.S. 40 today.

I drove through the towns of West Jefferson, Summerford, Lafayette, South Vienna and into the city of Springfield for this week’s video.

I actually continued my drive on through Springfield all the way to the Indiana state line, but that’s for the next video.

There were two surprises this week — first, how West Jefferson came to be. I had never before learned the story of how its early residents actually moved their settlement’s buildings to be on the path of the road that was going through.

As plans for the National Road were being laid down in the area in the early 1830s, residents bodily picked up the buildings of the town of Hampton and rolled houses, barns and other buildings on logs a quarter-mile north to be in the path of the new road. West Jefferson was incorporated in 1831.

The second surprise was that Springfield feels like a big city. I’ve been there before, but it’s been a long time. So either I’m getting used to living in a smaller city (Zanesville) or I’m just not getting out enough. Either way, Springfield’s downtown is delightful and attractive, and the city seems to be growing.

Springfield has a population of well over 58,000, nearly the population of Youngstown (59,000) and more than Newark (about 50,000). In fact, Springfield is the 12th-largest city in the state of Ohio, behind Hamilton (63,000) and just above Kettering (56,000).

It was a delight also to finally lay eyes upon the Red Brick Tavern in Lafayette and the Buena Vista Tavern (Johnson’s Lamp Shop) near Harmony. There were two sadly abandoned restaurants that I stopped to photograph as well.

This chapter in the Dusty Tires on the Road series about the National Road and U.S. 40 is the next to last. The final one in the series will cover the remainder of Springfield and westward to the Indiana-Ohio border.

After that, I hope to be exploring more roads and places in Ohio to share with you.

Note: If the video embedded above does not appear in your email from Dusty Tires please use this link: https://youtu.be/AwXiJjYs8WA

Ken Drenten is creator and editor of Dusty-Tires.com, a travel blog for out-of-the-ordinary places in Ohio.

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