Description: This photograph shows a locomotive engine that ran on the Big Four Railroad, with a note on the reverse which reads "BIG FOUR ENGINE #7514 S. Pruegfred[?]." The Big Four Railroad was also referred to as the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago, and St. Louis Railway. On June 30, 1889, the consolidation of three major railway companies which serviced the American Midwest, formed the Big Four Railroad. In 1890, the Big Four Railway absorbed the Indiana, Bloomington and Western Railway. In 1906, the New York Central Railroad acquired the Big Four, and in the 1960s the Penn Central railroad absorbed Big Four's rail lines. This is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in the Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B11F07_004_001
Subjects: Locomotives--Ohio; Trains--History; Transportation--Ohio--History.; Passenger trains; Engines; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project
Places: Ohio
 

Description: This aerial view of the Y-Bridge in Zanesville, Ohio, shows its location at the confluence of the Muskingum and Licking rivers. The bridge, which connects Zanesville with Natchez and West Zanesville, is part of the historic National Road (Cumberland Road), the first federally planned and funded interstate highway. The National Road linked older eastern communities with the emerging frontier settlements of the Northwest Territory. From 1825 to 1838, the National Road was extended across Ohio. The first Y-Bridge was opened to the public in 1814 but collapsed into the river in 1818. A second, stronger bridge (1819-1832) was built on the same site, but it was condemned thirteen years later when twelve-inch-thick ice in the river weakened the superstructure. The third Y bridge (1832-1900) stood until 1900. On January 4, 1902, the fourth Y bridge (1902-1979) was opened for foot passengers. Ten days later, streetcars and wagons began to cross the bridge. In 1979, the fourth Y bridge was judged unsafe. A fifth bridge opened on November 9, 1984. The Y-Bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places. This image of the Y-Bridge was among the photographs produced by the Federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) between 1935 and 1943. One of the best-known WPA programs, the Federal Writers Project, published the American Guide Series, travel guides to the existing 48 states and for the District of Columbia. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06389
Subjects: Bridges; Cumberland Road--History; Transportation--Ohio--History; Zanesville (Ohio); United States. Work Progress Administration; National Register of Historic Places
Places: Zanesville (Ohio); Muskingum County (Ohio)
 

Description: United States Road handbill, 1819. The notice is a request for bids from contractors interested in working on the National Road (also called the Cumberland Road or the U.S. Road), the first federally sponsored roadway. The notice states that David Shriver, Jr., superintendent of the National Road, is accepting bids for construction of the road segment that would link Uniontown and Washington, Pennsylvania. The U.S. Congress commissioned the National Road in 1806 as a conduit to the West, linking the Potomac River and Cumberland, Maryland, to St. Louis, Missouri, and the Mississippi River. The road opened Ohio and the Northwest Territory to settlement and trade with the eastern U.S. By 1838 the Cumberland Road had reached Springfield, Ohio; three years later it reached Vandalia, Illiinois, where construction stopped due to a funding shortfall. By this time the railroads attracted travelers and business shipping away from the National Road, and the project was abandoned. A century later the advent of the automobile made the National Road popular once again. The National Road bisected Ohio along what is now U.S. 40. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05817
Subjects: Cumberland Road--History; Transportation--Ohio--History; Roads--United States--History; Shriver, David, 1769-1852; Handbills, Advertising
Places: Cumberland (Maryland); Allegany County (Maryland);
 

Description: Dated ca. 1900, this photograph shows a lock on Miami and Erie Canal south of Dayton, Ohio, in Montgomery County. Work began on the Miami and Erie Canal in 1825 and was completed in 1845. During the peak of construction, more than four thousand laborers worked on the canal, generally earning 30 cents per day plus room and board. Many recent immigrants to the United States, especially the Irish, survived thanks to jobs on the canals. Other people, like the residents of the communal society at Zoar, also helped construct canals to assist the survival of their community. Many of Ohio’s communities today, including Akron, began as towns for the canal workers. Most canals remained in operation in Ohio until the late 1800s. There is a short stretch in the Muskingum Valley near Zanesville still in operation today. By the 1850s, however, canals were losing business to the railroads. This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B02F06_007
Subjects: Locks (Canal); Miami and Erie Canal (Ohio)--History; Dayton (Ohio); Geography and Natural Resources; Transportation--Ohio--History.
Places: Dayton (Ohio); Montgomery County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photo shows the state of the Miami and Erie canal in the 1930s. The remnants of this lock indicate it is certainly no longer used at this point in time. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B02F05_015
Subjects: Montgomery County (Ohio)--History; Locks (Canal); Canals--Ohio; Miami and Erie Canal (Ohio)--History; Geography and Natural Resources; Transportation--Ohio--History.; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project
Places: Montgomery County (Ohio)
 

Description: This is a photograph of a lock on the Ohio-Erie Canal in Tuscarawas County, Ohio. During the late 1810s, Governor Thomas Worthington and Governor Ethan Allen Brown both supported internal improvements, especially canals. Both men believed that Ohioans needed quick and easy access to the Ohio River and to Lake Erie if they were to profit financially. In 1822, the Ohio legislature realized the importance of internal improvements and created a new Ohio Canal Commission. The Canal Commission eventually recommended a route starting at Lake Erie, passing through the Cuyahoga Valley, the Muskingum Valley, the Licking Valley, and then to the Ohio River along the Scioto Valley. The Commission also recommended a western route along the Miami and Maumee Valleys. By 1833, the Ohio and Erie Canal was complete, followed twelve years later by the Miami and Erie Canal. Once completed, thirty-three of Ohio's eighty-eight counties either had portions of canals running through them or quarries to mine rock for construction. The canals had many advantages to Ohioans. Most importantly, the cost to ship goods from the East Coast to Ohio and vice versa declined tremendously from 125 dollars per ton of goods to twenty-five dollars per ton of goods. Most canals remained in operation in Ohio until the late 1800s, their demise due in part to competition from the much speedier railroads. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B14F03_020_001
Subjects: Tuscarawas County (Ohio)--History; Locks (Canal); Canals--Ohio; Miami and Erie Canal (Ohio)--History; Geography and Natural Resources; Transportation--Ohio--History;
Places: Tuscarawas County (Ohio)
 

Description: This image shows the Oldest Concrete Street in America in Bellefontaine, Ohio. In 1891, Bellefontaine city engineer J.C. Wonders decided to pave the street surrounding the courthouse square with Portland cement concrete. As a result of this innovation, Wonders became known as the father of concrete paving. Concrete was a smooth surface that was very durable. An automobile ride on concrete was much less bumpy than previous rides on dirt roads or even on brick. Wonders' idea led the state of Ohio to appoint him as State Highway Commissioner in 1907. He was only the second commissioner in Ohio's history. In the years that followed, the state began to pave a number of its roads. It would still be a long time before the majority of roads were paved, as the process took time and was expensive. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06512
Subjects: Roads--United States--History; Ohio State Highway Patrol; Transportation--Canal--Railroad--Roads
Places: Bellefontaine (Ohio); Logan County (Ohio)
 

Description: This is a photograph of a boat in the Miami and Erie Canal near Dayton in Montgomery County, showing how the boats were moved through the water. Generally, a rope was attached to a horse or donkey which pulled the boat while walking on a towpath along the canal. The Miami and Erie Canal connected the Ohio River in Cincinnati, Ohio and Lake Erie in Toledo, Ohio and was completed in 1845. This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B02F06_011
Subjects: Canals Ohio; Miami and Erie Canal (Ohio)--History; Geography and Natural Resources; Transportation--Ohio--History.; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project
Places: Dayton (Ohio); Montgomery County (Ohio)
 

Description: The original description reads: "The picture of this man wading in the canal was taken July, 1904." This photo shows the state of the Miami and Erie canal near Dayton in the early 1900s. The Miami and Erie Canal connected the Ohio River in Cincinnati and Lake Erie in Toledo and was completed in 1845. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B02F06_031
Subjects: Montgomery County (Ohio)--History; Canals--Ohio; Miami and Erie Canal (Ohio)--History; Geography and Natural Resources; Transportation--Ohio--History.; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project
Places: Montgomery County (Ohio)
 

Description: Caption reads "Cincinnati, Ohio. Miami and Erie Canal at Plum and Twelfth Street about 1860." This photograph (ca. 1935-1943) is of a drawing or lithograph of the Miami and Erie Canal in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. The Miami and Erie Canal connected the Ohio River in Cincinnati and Lake Erie in Toledo and was completed in 1845. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B03F01_033_001
Subjects: Cincinnati (Ohio--History; Canals--Ohio; Miami and Erie Canal (Ohio)--History; Illustrations; Geography and Natural Resources; Transportation--Ohio--History.; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: The Ohio-Erie Canal that ran through Tuscarawas County began at Summit Lake near Barberton and ended at Dresden. The canal was a was for farmers and manufacturers to connect to the Ohio River and Lake Erie. It operated from 1825 until the disastrous flood in 1913. It became obsolete due to the railroads. This photograph is a scene near Tuscarawas in Tuscarawas County, Ohio. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B14F01_041_001
Subjects: Tuscarawas County (Ohio)--History; Canals--Ohio; Miami and Erie Canal (Ohio)--History; Geography and Natural Resources; Transportation--Ohio--History.; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project
Places: Tuscarawas County (Ohio)
 

Description: Canal plat map showing a section of Buckeye Lake in Licking County, Ohio. Although this map is affixed in a volume of plat maps for the Miami and Erie Canal, Buckeye Lake (formerly known as Licking Reservoir) was a part of the Ohio and Erie Canal system. The map was created under the direction of the members of the Canal Commission of the state of Ohio and approved by the Chief Engineer of the Department of Public Works (variously referred to as the Board of Public Works and the Division of Public Works). In the 1820s, the state began construction of the Ohio and Erie Canal, and workers built a dike that diverted water from the south fork of the Licking River into the pond, which then became known as the Licking Reservoir or Licking Summit Reservoir. As canals declined in use in the second half of the 19th century, the Ohio and Erie Canal was abandoned and began to deteriorate, but the canal's decline did not mean an end to the Licking Reservoir. Instead, the state legislature renamed it Buckeye Lake and made it a public park in 1894. In 1949, the state of Ohio designated Buckeye Lake as a state park. The amusement park began to decline in popularity by the late 1950s and continued to deteriorate in the 1960s. Although the amusement park no longer exists, Buckeye Lake State Park still attracts a number of visitors to the area each year, in addition to the many people who own vacation homes near the lake or live in the area year-round. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: BV23165_017
Subjects: Buckeye Lake (Ohio)--History; Ohio and Erie Canal (Ohio); Transportation; Canals -- Ohio; Reservoirs
Places: Buckeye Lake (Ohio); Licking County (Ohio)