Ohio attractions

Cemetery Road Bridge has a “new” home

/ Roadtirementvintage / 14 Comments

The Cemetery Road Covered Bridge started its existence in 1886 after bridge builder Henry Hebble completed the construction of the original 129 foot long span over the Anderson Fork of Caesar Creek. In the 1970’s a new lake was planned and that lake when filled would have inundated and destroyed this bridge.

The sign on the entrance

Name plate on bridge

Side of bridge showing abutments

The Reader’s Digest version of the story is that The Army Corp of Engineers ended up giving the bridge away to anyone that would move it. The middle 60 foot section was cut away, and the bridge did get moved, very slowly, to its new home in the Glen Helen Nature Preserve. The trip took two days and necessitated moving some traffic signal lights for clearance as the bridge on wheels was moved through towns.

View through the bridge deck

The bridge, once it was placed on its new location spanning the Yellow Springs Creek, did require substantial repairs including some new deck boards, siding and quite a bit of roof repairs. It was opened for pedestrian traffic only, and is off the road a hundred yards or so in the Glen Helen Nature Preserve.

Henry Hebble utilized the Howe through truss design

Even the bridge deck got graffitied

 

 

 

 

 

Since the opening  in 1975 the bridge has been the victim of serious and widespread vandalism in the form of graffiti over a high percentage of the wood members of the structure. It seems like lots of covered bridges fall victim to this kind of desecration. But, that said, it was great that at least a portion of this fine old bridge was saved from a watery demise.

 

The historic Grinnell Mill, now a Bed & Breakfast

/ Roadtirementvintage / 5 Comments

This simple but stately three story frame building stood out on the winding road as we were traveling through Greene County Ohio. The Grinnell Mill property has a long history, beginning in 1813. The original mill burned in 1818, and the current building was constructed in 1821 on the original limestone foundation. Over the years the mill has seen several uses, including a gristmill, sawmill and limestone processing facility.

The mill today

Information plaque

An original mill machinery piece

The building is now used as a Bed and Breakfast with three rooms available. The beautiful remodeled mill is also available for retreats, meetings, conferences, and parties. It is open to the public for tours most Saturdays and Sundays. Further details, including additional photos and a more complete history is available at the Grinnell Mill Bed and Breakfast website. It was not open when we were there.

 

A lovely site for a picnic

/ Roadtirementvintage / 12 Comments

On our trip the other day to visit family in Ohio we were looking for covered bridges. In Greene County (east of Dayton) we came across this lovely pull off and saw a large information sign. That was our cue to stop.

Nice gazebo, note the covered picnic tables

Large covered seating place

Old cast iron drinking fountain

 

 

 

 

 

The signage explained that this was one of two turn offs at trail heads for the Indian Mound Reserve. The park was quite large according to the map and included an Indian Mound, multiple trails of varying lengths, picnic grounds, and a scenic falls and river.

Been around a while…

Ok, it’s not covered, but still a bridge

Enjoying a beautiful day in Ohio

Time constraints and schedule did not allow us to explore the falls or any of the other trails in the lovely county park. The people of Greene County are fortunate to have such a lovely facility to enjoy.

 

A new bridge with an old design

/ Roadtirementvintage / 18 Comments

On the way from home base in central Indiana to family in Columbus, Ohio, a bit of research revealed the locations of a few covered bridges. If you have visited our site before, you probably know of our enjoyment visiting, photographing, and sharing our findings. Having noted a location of the Hyde Road bridge, we were quite surprised when we noted on the signage that the bridge was built in 2014!

OK, it is covered, but a cupula?

While the exterior of the structure was not at all similar to the “classic” covered bridge designs a stroll through the bridge revealed the very familiar Howe through truss design. The two metal rods for posts and the angled braces and counter braces are very familiar. Those braces had a metal fitting for attachment to the top and bottom chords, and rafter fasteners were different including modern truss nail plates.

Truss design is familiar, details vary from “normal”

A different multi window design

Modern designed deck supports

 

 

 

 

 

The bridge spans the Little Miami Scenic Trail on E Hyde Road. We did see several bike riders enjoying the wide paved trail that runs under the new bridge. One other change from the old classic covered bridges is the thin asphalt pavement overlay on the bridge deck . While the clip-clop of equine hoofs do sound out, not having a wood deck is, well, a bit hard to appreciate.

This was built when??

Window view of the bike trail

 

 

 

 

 

The Hyde Road Bridge is also known as the Richard P Eastman Covered Bridge, the name of which shows on Google maps. The bridge was constructed by R.G. Zachrich Construction who has constructed other reproduction bridges in the state.

Pedestrian traffic only on Stevenson Road Covered Bridge

/ Roadtirementvintage / 6 Comments

Greene County , Ohio is a bit east of Dayton with pretty rolling hills and well kept farmsteads. This is also the home of the Stevenson Road Covered Bridge, now open to pedestrian traffic only.

View from the new road that bypasses the old bridge

Note the three members of the top chord

This beautifully restored bridge was originally built in 1877 by the Smith Bridge Company of Toledo. The design is designated a Covered Smith through truss. This design was patented by Robert Smith and utilized a system of multiple top and bottom chords depending upon span lengths and load requirements.

Vehicles were prohibited in 2003 with the road course moved in 2004. The bridge deck is 95 feet in length with a width of 16.5 feet. The bridge spans Massies Creek on Stevenson Road (CR 76) in Wilberforce.

This was the first Smith through truss bridge we had seen. While inspecting the bridge truss system, you notice several steel square pipe cross bracing supports. They did not look appropriate for the original structure. Photos on bridgehunter.com taken in 2015 do not show these steel braces, so these might have been added in the 2015 restoration mentioned on the entrance signage.

Note the rust colored steel angle and cross braces

View of the deck supports reflected in the water

Dates of interest

Sher enjoying this pretty bridge


The Stevenson Road Covered Bridge is a lovely addition to the history of Ohio, and to the countryside in which it stands. The approach is quite capable of safe vehicle parking allowing for easy and interesting access to the bridge and its surrounds. This is a stop well worth your time.

 

Out in the world again

/ Roadtirementvintage / 38 Comments

Sher and I are fully vaccinated. Whew.  The CDC advice for folks like us has been very encouraging, and we were able to enjoy going to a winery with our son and his fiancé near Columbus, Ohio.

The Wyandotte Winery is a well established family owned winery with a pleasant and comfortable facility. Tasting was  easy, with a dollar per taste cost. We also added cheese and cracker and meat and cheese plates to munch on and accompanying  our sampling.

We enjoyed the tasting and bought a couple of bottles and even got a couple of glasses for our collection. But mostly we enjoyed being out in the world again. Seeing and interacting with people is something we haven’t done in, well, a while now. And of course it was wonderful to see our son and our grandkids who we haven’t seen in well over a year. Before we headed to Ohio we also visited another son and his family. There we were introduced to our newest grandson who was born December 20th.  What a treat to hug family again!

Travel into history

/ Roadtirementvintage / 29 Comments

Why they celebrated the new concrete paving!

One journey that is enjoyable is following the Old National Road, aka US 40. For one thing, you are not on an interstate! Anyway, near Brownsville, Ohio, east of Columbus, you’ll find the Eagle’s Nest Monument. It was erected around 1916 after a 29 mile stretch of the then unimproved and often nearly impassable road was replaced with concrete. The stretch of highway ran from Zanesville to Hebron. The large granite rock has some great markings, including a rough Conestoga wagon.

The Eagles Nest monument

Conestoga wagon etched into the granite

 

 

 

 

 

You are 220 miles from the start of the National Road in Cumberland, MD.

Get off the interstate and travel the Old National Road anywhere along the route in any state. The signage is excellent and easy to follow, and you won’t be bored!

Revisiting a great restaurant

/ Roadtirementvintage / 24 Comments

After we get our vaccines we are so looking forward to getting back on the road and actually sitting down for a meal inside a restaurant! Here’s a revisit to a place we visited  back in 2018.

Hamburger Inn Diner an integral part of Delaware, Ohio

The Hamburger Inn Diner is on the main drag in the central Ohio city of Delaware. Our family enjoyed lunch there last weekend. (Read our post here) I was fortunate to meet and have a conversation with Bill Michailidas, the owner.

Bill shared how the Hamburger Inn Diner is really a focal point in the community. The generous serving of Thanksgiving dinner to nearly a thousand folks is a shining example of the good this Diner shares. Besides, it has been serving the people of Delaware great food since 1932.

Since 1947 the diner has become the place for local citizens to gather and share coffee and conversations. Oh, the wisdom that has been shared in the gatherings for the past seven decades.

The diner is open 24 hours on the weekend. As you can imagine, the diner is full of law enforcement, fire and EMS personnel . Workers from all shifts can find a time to eat, and local college students can enjoy great food and a safe place to study after hours.

Delaware, Ohio is fortunate to have the Hamburger Inn Diner. Be sure to stop in when you are in Delaware.

Souvenir from a Jellystone Park

/ Roadtirementvintage / 10 Comments

A while back Sher and I met a lot of our family members at an RV campground near Cleveland, Ohio. We stayed at a franchised campground with a Jellystone Park theme. Yes, right from the cartoon series with Yogi Bear, BooBoo, Cindy and the hapless Ranger.  We had a wonderful time as this was a perfect place for family activities.

Souvenir ornament

Souvenir photograph

 

 

 

 

 

 

The “Airstream” style ornament , while Christmas themed, is now permanently hanging from the window over our table in the RV. This souvenir is cute, lights up and reminds us of that fun time we all had at the Jellystone Park RV resort.

Do any of you collect souvenirs from your travel adventures?

Please Remember to  Stay Safe and Stay Healthy