We had an enjoyable evening at the Ashland –
Huntington KOA. It was a bit cool, so no sitting out or walking around the
park. It was in a pretty wide open area, without a lot of trees. It is sandwiched
between an industrial park and a cemetery.
It is not just any cemetery, it is the Kentucky Veterans
Cemetery Northeast. It is a place of honor, a final resting place for America’s
Heroes.
To get back onto US Route 23, we took KY CR 67. It
is also called Industrial Parkway. It runs between Interstate 40 and Route 23.
I think when they built and named the road, they were thinking that it would be
a great place for industrial type businesses to set up shop. Sad to say, but we
only found Braidy Industries. Braidy Industries was created by Craig T.
Bouchard to lead a national transformation in the use of efficient,
eco-friendly aluminum alloys that are also lighter and stronger. Our goal is to
lead the generational shift in materials science that is currently underway.
Their initial project, a 2.5 million square-foot, fully integrated aluminum
rolling mill here in Eastern Kentucky. It is the most technically advanced mill
in the US. It is the first new mill of its kind in the US in more than 30
years, and created 1,000 plus construction jobs. The factory provide 600+
full-time, well-paying skilled labor and administration jobs. Located in
Greenup County, near Ashland, Kentucky, the mill is ideally located on the Ohio
River, with barge capacity. The CSX railroad runs through the property and I-64
connects with the dozens of automotive plants within a 300-mile radius,
allowing for easy delivery.
Just south of the City of Greenup, on US 23, is the
Greenup County War Memorial. The memorial is an amazing tribute to Greenup
County veterans of all modern wars and one of the most beautiful war memorials
in all of Eastern Kentucky. The Greenup County War Memorial was established on
November 13, 1999 to honor the men and women who served and died in recent wars
and conflicts. It is a wonderful place of remembrance that allows you to
interact with several pieces of military equipment including an M60 Battle
tank, a decommissioned UH-1 Huey helicopter, an F-86 Fighter jet, a WWII Navy
Landing Craft, and others!
Crossroads Trade Center, why are there so many of
these along Route 23? There seems to be many of them, but they look like a
large parking lot with no one in charge.
I saw my first Robin of Spring. Charlie had to make
a potty stop and while we were parked, this guy landed in front of us. He must
be traveling back north with us.
We followed along the Ohio River for most of this
morning. We crossed over the Ohio River into Kentucky.
The first town in Ohio is Portsmouth. Route 23 is
part of the Ohio River Scenic Byway. The must see place here is the Portsmouth
Flood Wall murals. The idea of painting murals on the Portsmouth floodwall
first occurred to lifelong resident Dr Louis R. Chaboudy in 1992 after viewing
outdoor murals in Steubenville, Ohio. When they searched for a muralist to
transform the floodwall, they looked for someone who would not only paint a
picture but would bring Scioto County’s rich history to life. They wanted
someone talented enough to amaze and attract tourists, to tell a story, and to
capture the imaginations of those who have an appreciation for art as well as
those who have never been exposed to art.
They found that person in internationally
known muralist Robert Dafford. In February 1992, he came to Portsmouth to meet
with the committee. In May 1993, less than one year after the visit to
Steubenville, painting began on the longest mural in the project, 20 feet x 160
feet. The mural project was completed in October of 2002 with 2,200 feet of art
along the Ohio River. The project has become the largest known work of art by a
single artist. Since 2002 there have been four more murals added to the
collection. Over the years word has spread far and wide of the beautiful
"Floodwall Murals". They are truly something that has to be seen, to
be believed.
Do you believe in aliens? In Wakefield Ohio, there
is someone that does! Mike Brumfield. He has written 6 previous books that has
culminated into this final book, Infinite Astronauts. In his relentless search
for the trust about UFOs, Mike has teamed up with Jeff Willes of Phoenix to
begin filming flying saucers. Their footage was purchased by Walt Disney World
and used as the trailer on Return to Witch Mountain. Mike and Jeff have made 2
films of their footage to be entered into the International UFO Congress. The
pair continues to film to this day. I guess everyone needs a passion, right?!
Anyone who reads my blogs, knows how much I love
roadside flowers, the only thing I love to see as much as the flowers is
painted barns. In western NY, climbing up Springwater hill traveling south on Route
15, just before you crested the hill. Around 2000, there was an old barn
painted with a “Blue Dog.” The “Blue Dog” was used as a logo on Absolut vodka.
The “Blue Dog” also helped to coin the term Blue Dog Democrat, which refers to
a conservative member of the Democratic Party. The Blue Dog has been painted
over. I loved that barn and looked forward to seeing it every time we visited
Charlie’s folks or family. The Blue Dog has been painted over, the barn might
even be gone now ….
Today, I captured 3 barns.
One was a “Chew Mail Pouch” barn. Long before the time
when there were Surgeon General’s warnings on cigarette packs and federal laws
prohibiting tobacco advertisements, there was a West Virginia tobacco company
with an incredible marketing idea. Founded by Wheeling, West Virginia, by
brothers, the Bloch Brothers Tobacco Company. The tobacco business would
outgrow the hometown grocery store and they were soon producing a full line of
tobacco products, including Mail Pouch Chewing Tobacco. They enjoyed great
success locally, but struggled to expand their sales beyond their local area. But
thanks to a pretty cool idea the company was able to rise beyond a regional
brand and grow into a national product known by millions. The plan was simple –
paint the side of barns located along busy roadways in Mail Pouch lettering and
advertising. Generally hand-painted in black or red with yellow or white
capital lettering, the barn paintings read as: “Chew Mail Pouch Tobacco Treat
Yourself to the Best.” Initially, barn owners were paid between $1 and $2 a
year for the advertisement, but more importantly, they received a much desired
fresh coat of paint to preserve the wood of their barn. Mail Pouch painted
their message on one side of the barn and painted the other sides of the barn
any color the owner wished. Many of the barns were repainted every few years to
maintain the sharp colors of the lettering. The barns were painted by Harley
Warrick, Mark Turley, Don Shires, and several others. Their initials remain
preserved on some of the barns with the date of the painting. These initials
can be found on the blue border surrounding the front side, or nearer to the
roof. There were numerous businesses painting messages on the sides of barns
throughout the first half of the 20th century, but none were advertised to the
level of Mail Pouch. Though the company officially suspended barn advertisements
in 1992, Mail Pouch’s message continues to be seen and celebrated on the sides
of America’s wooden barns from coast to coast.
We also saw an “Ohio Bicentennial” barn. I bet you did
not know that to celebrate and commemorate Ohio's 200th anniversary as a state,
the Ohio Bicentennial Commission selected artist Scott Hagan to paint at least
one barn in each of Ohio's eighty-eight counties with the bicentennial
logotype. Hagan sketched the image by hand on each barn before painting it. No
two barns are exactly alike. Hagan completed all of the work himself and used
one hundred paintbrushes and 645 gallons of paint. As Hagan traveled across
Ohio, he drove approximately sixty-five thousand miles with his truck. The
project began in 1997 and was completed in September 2002. Scott Hagan even
painted bicentennial barns in Niagara County in western New York in 2008.
The “live free flag” barn was located in Adam’s Mill. I
just moved the picture up to include it with the other painted barns. The flag
has characteristics of other flags that Scott Hagan has painted, but as of this
blog, the artist for this barn is unknown.
Lots of farms in Ohio. Some of the winter wheat is
growing well. But there are lots of fields that need to be plowed under, but
still have standing water. I thought this farm had a unique look.
Circleville OH, derives its name from the circular
portion of a large Hopewell era earthwork upon which it was built. The
Circleville earthworks described in 1772 was comprised of a 1,100 foot diameter
circle connected to a 900 foot square. Town Director Daniel Dresbach platted
the town directly atop the earthworks, integrating the town plan into the prehistoric
landscape. An octagonal courthouse stood directly in the center.
Along Route 23 is Circleville, OH, you get your first
glimpse of a water tower painted like a pumpkin, complete with stem. It was
created in honor of the town's annual Pumpkin Show. Circleville is also the
home of the Ted Lewis Museum, named for an obscure actor. If you're lucky
enough to visit Circleville in October, stop in for the Pumpkin Show and be
sure to look up the Pickle on a Stick booth, where a man dressed like a pickle
serves up deep-fried delicacies.
Circleville downtown mural. Circleville’s Pumpkin Show
Mural is located at 116 E. Main Street, on the side of the Johnson building. It
was commissioned by The Pumpkin Show Committee in honor of the 100th
Circleville Pumpkin Show, in 2006. It features scenes from Pumpkin Show’s past
and also includes Circleville’s beloved Pumpkin Man. It was painted by Circleville
native and internationally recognized muralist, Eric Henn. The Circleville
Pumpkin Show starts the 3rd Wednesday of October each year, since 1903.
The architecture of this building caught my attention. Circleville's
Memorial Hall was built in 1890. Early in the building's history, it served as
the Public Library and Armory. Today, it is a county office complex and
auditorium. The auditorium is home to the Roundtown Players, a local theatre
group. It's in the Richardsonian Romanesque style (but those ribbon windows on
the tower are a definite harbinger of things to come in the 20th century). The
hall is on the National Register and also in the Circleville Historic District
which is on the National Register too.
I saw these freestanding arches near a CVS drugstore.
They intrigued me, but I was unsuccessful in finding out any information about
them. Still, they are pretty unique!
We turned onto Route 22 E and we are back on true two
lane roads and back into small downtowns that are still bustling with activity!
Somerset Ohio was home to Civil War General, Phil
Sheridan. So it is only fitting that the traffic circle in the center of town
is home to his statue.
The Sheridan monument was erected by and given to the
Village of Somerset by the State of Ohio in 1905 to honor the memory of
Somerset's General Phillip Henry Sheridan. "Little Phil" was raised
in Somerset and graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1852. He
rendered valuable service to the Federal Army in the Civil War at Stone's
River, Missionary Ridge, Yellow Tavern, Winchester, Cedar Creek, Five Forks,
and Appomattox. He later commanded in the West and became General of the Army
in 1883, received his fourth star, and died in 1888. The heroic sculpture,
created by Carl Heber of New York, portrays "Sheridan's Ride" to
Winchester. Somerset citizens paid for the granite base through a children's
"penny fund."
Anytime we pass chainsaw carvings, it always reminds me
about the first time we had a chainsaw carver at the Hemlock “Little World’s”
Fair. There were many sceptics, but it has proven to be a staple of the fair. I
love to see the different designs and colors these artists create and paint!
Entering Zanesville Ohio we transitioned on OH Route 60.
It ran us alongside the Muskingum River. This part of the Muskingum River has
been placed on the National Register of Historic Places and is recognized as
the Muskingum River Navigation Historic District. In its day, the system of
locks and dams that extends 112 miles through southeastern Ohio helped open the
state and the entire Midwest to trade and development. The only remaining
complete system of hand operated locks in the nation, these locks are still
operated for recreational boats today.
Saint Nicholas Catholic Church was built in 1898 in the
Romanesque Revival style of architecture. St. Nicholas Parish is in the Roman
Catholic Diocese of Columbus, which was founded in 1842 for the German-speaking
population of the area. The church operates a consolidated Catholic school with
St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Zanesville. On September 25, 1975, the church
building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
We turned onto Ohio CR 16 E and we are definitely in farm
country now!
In Adam’s Mill, Charlie spotted this airplane on a
post. What the heck? Another roadside oddity? No, it is an actual airport. It
is the Graham Farm Airport with three single engine planes registered there. It
is for private use and permission is required prior to landing on the 2,000
foot turf runway. It has been an active “airport” since the summer of 1989.
Arrived at the
Coshocton Fairgrounds for the Ohio Good Sam Rally. This will be our home for
the next 5 nights!
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