National Road Zane Grey Museum

The National Road

Visit America’s first highway into Ohio and points west, beginning in the early 19th century, at the National Road Museum.

The National Road was built between 1811 and 1837 to connect the Potomac and Ohio Rivers and was one of the first major highways constructed by the US federal government. Much of the Ohio portion of the road followed Zane’s Trace, along what is now State Route 22, a frontier road built under the direction of Ebenezer Zane in 1796 and 1797. Both the National Road and Zane’s Trace were important routes that acted as gateways for people traveling from the east coast to the western frontier.

Exhibits at the museum illustrate the history of the road and its construction. A diorama of the National Road with many accompanying objects illustrates what it was like to travel on the National Road from the early 19th century, when the first tree was felled, to the mid-20th century.

Zane Grey was a popular American author who was born in Zanesville. Grey’s study has been recreated in the museum and is complemented with exhibits featuring his manuscripts and memorabilia.