Saturday, October 10, 2015

First concrete street in the U.S.

The Universal World Reference Encyclopedia.  Chicago:  Consolidated Book Publishers, 1946.

According to Wikipedia:


In 1891, Bellefontaine became the location of the first concrete street in America. George Bartholomew invented a process for paving using Portland cement, which until then had been used in stone construction. A small section of Main Street, on the west side of the Logan County Courthouse, was the first to be paved using that process. When that proved successful, Court Avenue, which runs along the south side of the courthouse, was then paved. While Main Street is now paved with asphalt, Court Avenue has retained its original concrete pavement for over 100 years. At its centennial, the street was closed and a statue of Bartholomew placed at its Main Street end, although since then one lane has been reopened for eastbound traffic.
No information on whether Bartholomew's statue was made of concrete.

Below, previous views.  Top view 1846, lower one 1887.  Published in Henry Howe's Historical Collections of Ohio, 1904.  That's progress.



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