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Day 3: May 30, 2004 |
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Day 3: May 30, 2004 |
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I continued from Mercer on US 62 and was soon back in my home state.
There were some truly nice sections but Mercer isn't all that far from
Youngstown and Youngstown isn't far from a whole lot of places. I switched
to Ohio Route 7 without actually suffering downtown Youngstown but
still spent a noticeable amount of time in city like traffic. The town of
Hubbard came along before Youngstown and for a brief moment I thought it
contained today's breakfast site. But the Emerald Diner is closed on
Sundays so I could only look. I found that this was a diner with a real
drive through and that it seemed to be part of a collection of nostalgia
generators.
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But it all worked out. I eventually escaped the traffic of Greater
Youngstown and soon after found a good breakfast spot at the corner of
OH-7 and OH-14.
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Much of OH-7 is divided four lane but it does carry the scenic highway
designation.
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A large stockade and some log buildings caught my attention as I passed
through Steubenville. I turned aside and easily worked my way back to a
reconstructed Fort Steuben. It was just barely past the attraction's noon
opening time and things were still being unlocked when I arrived. As guide
Jerry explained, the reconstruction is on the actual site of the original
and duplicates all structures of the original with the exception of a pair
of watch towers. The stone marker attests to the fact that this is proper
site for 1788 fort as well as providing a very solid foundation for an
abandoned bird nest.
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Another 100 miles along the banks of the Ohio brought me to Marietta. One
of the earliest European excursions in the area was a French group under
the command of Celoron de Blainville. Blainville's 1749 expedition was for
the purpose of burying lead plates claiming the territory for France. The
pictured marker, inside the boundaries of present day Marietta, is on the
site of one of those plates.
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I have been thinking of visiting Marietta although I had never thought it
would be on a direct drive from somewhere in Pennsylvania. The
Ohio
River Museum was a big reason for considering a visit so today that
was the one thing I sought out. Steamboats played a major role in the
history of the river and are a major part of the museum. Displayed
artifacts include the name boards from many vessels and a collection of
boat whistles all labeled with the name of the boat they were once part
of. A recording of the whistles, cleverly named a "tootinanny"
is available at the museum. The W. P. Snyder Jr. is a major museum
display and project. Plans for the boat extend to getting the vessel once
again running under the power of its own pair of steam engines.
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