Watt Center for History and the Arts

'Drovers' Trail Scenic Byway' is now a reality in Belmont County

By Al Molnar

Ohio Department of Transportation Director Gordon Proctor has announced that "State Route 800 from Hendrysburg to Barnesville and State Route 147 from Barnesville to Bellaire has officially been designated the Drovers' Trail Scenic Byway."

For Floyd Simpson the designation culminates three years of intensive work and research by him and a handful of others, on the byway plan to get recognition for the road that was first created by the Indians and later used by cattlemen from the central and western part of the county to get their herds to the Ohio River.  "The department appreciates all the hard work and dedication of the scenic byway committee and the support from community leaders," Proctor wrote in a letter to Simpson. "The addition of Drovers' Trail Scenic Byway will be a great asset to Ohio's Scenic Byway Program. We look forward to working with your community in the future to assist with the implementation of your corridor management plan."

Simpson, whose 560-acre farm on Ohio 147 lies right in the middle of the old drovers' road, was elated by the state's action. "I had wanted to get recognition for the history of the old drovers' road, which helped form not only Belmont County but had a key role in the development of the state of Ohio by bringing dollars back from the east to a growing agricultural farm base in the west which in those days was central Ohio.  "I have always been fascinated by the history of this area," Simpson continued, "especially since my great, great, great grandfather was one of President Washington's surveyors of this area."

Simpson's Country Mile Farm has within it the 57-acre James Kinney Farmstead, which, he noted, "is where I live." That site is on the National Register of Historic Places. It once served as a drovers station.  His farmstead is just one of a number of National Historic Register sites associated with the new byway designation. Included on the list are the Barnesville B&O Depot; Track Rocks, the native American petroglyphs near Barnesville; Tower Site at a restricted address in the Barnesville area; the Barnesville historic district; the Belmont historic district, the Schooley Building in Belmont and the B&O viaduct in Bellaire.

Designation of the new byway is the third for Belmont County and it links with the other two byways - National Road and Ohio 7 - to give the county a circuitious route for the enjoyment of those who may want to drive over them. The Drovers' Trail Byway is 39 miles in length, extending from Hendrysburg in the western part of the county on Ohio 800 to Barnesville, then to Ohio 147 and a link with Ohio 7 at Bellaire. Those two link in the east and west ends of the county to the All-American National Road.  Within the next few weeks, Simpson and his core group for the byway plan - Marie Bundy of Tacoma, Duane Moore and Erick Rubel of Centerville and Steve Schumacher, Belmont County's agricultural extension agent - will be meeting with state officials to pinpoint sites along the new scenic byway route where signs will be installed by the state to identify the new designation.  The byway represents Ohio's 16th designated byway since 1994.  Concluding his letter to Simpson on the new byway designation, Proctor stated, "On behalf of ODOT, congratulations once again on this important designation."

Points of Interest

• Barnesville Pumpkin Festival: Held the last full weekend of September in downtown Barnesville. Fun events for all ages, music, rides, parades, car show (over 500 entries), pie eating contest and prize winning pumpkins weighing over half a ton are not uncommon. The event attracts around 100,000 people. ( ww.ohiopumpkinfestival.com)

• Track Rocks: The location of this ancient Native American stone petroglyph is not disclosed although it is in the direct vicinity of the original drove road west of Barnesville. It is on private property and can only be viewed by persons with special permission from the land owner. A photo of the site is provided in this report since it cannot be viewed directly by the visiting public. It is hoped that the photograph will suffice since protection of this unique pre-historic site is imperative. Tower Rocks also is not disclosed for the same reasons.  The other archaeological site along the Drovers Trail Scenic Byway that can be seen by the public is the 200 foot Loess Mound at the Historic James Kinney Farmstead. Since such sites are fragile to excessive human traffic it is suggested that such be noted and respected when viewing them and permission is always required before entering.

• Watt Center for History and The Arts - 400 North Street Barnesville, OH 43713 - Now a museum, this was the original office building of the Watt Car & Wheel Co. The company started in 1865 as J. H. Watt and Brothers. Exhibits include coal history, business, industry and agriculture. Discover six unique valuts, lovely tin ceiling designs, a steam whistle used to signal weather for the community. Donations appreciated. Regular hours are June - September. Also open by appointment.

http://www.barnesvilleohio.com

Additional Byway Highlights and Photos