Zanesville, Ohio: Pottery Capital of the World

Zanesville, Ohio is located in the southeastern part of the state on Rt. 40, the old National, or Cumberland Road, that stretches from Maryland to Illinois. It is the county seat of Muskingum County.

According to the Zanesville Convention and Visitor's Bureau, Zanesville, Ohio was founded in 1797 when Ebenezer Zane arrived in the area, where Zane's Trace and the Muskingum River meet. It was here that Zane's son-in-law, John McIntire, and his brother, Jonathan Zane, established Zanesville, and became the first settlers in the county. Ebenezer Zane, a Revolutionary War veteran, was famous for the Zane's Trace, a path, following Indian trails that he was sent to hew out of the forest for pioneers heading west. The trace began in Maryland and ended, due to lack of funds, in Illinois.

One of the oldest cities in the state, it has a wealth of history, old architecture antique shops, and a growing artist's colony.

It was also the second capital of Ohio between the years 1810-1812.

Up until this latest trip, we had mostly taken the trip from northwest Ohio to Zanesville on our antique pilgrimages. Zanesville, which has always been known as the "Pottery Capital of the World", or "Clay City", is a collector's dream, and we are long-time McCoy pottery collectors. The clay in this part of the state was excellent for pottery, and this was the home of many art pottery companies. A trip down Main St. will lead you to several very good antique shops and malls.

One unique feature of the town is the Y-bridge which spans both the Licking and Muskingum rivers that join in the center of town. This unusual bridge allows you to actually turn left or right in the middle of the bridge, and may be the only one in the U.S. It was built in 1814, and has since been rebuilt five times. According to tradition, Amelia Earhart is said to have used the Y-bridge as an important navigational milepost, and called Zanesville "the most recognizable city in the world."

This time, we took a further look around and found out that there is a diesel operated, sternwheeler on the Muskingum, called the Lorena moored at Zane's Landing Park. 2009 is the sixtieth birthday of this ship that carries passengers from June through September, as well as several fall foliage tours in October. It was originally a tow barge that was converted back in 1949. According to their website, the Lorena will carry 90 passengers, and offers both dinner and luncheon cruises, as well as shorter excursions on the Muskingum.

This is a great city to visit, in beautiful, rolling farm country, rich in history and well worth the trip.