Old Lincoln Highway Bricks Found

On August 9th, WDTN of Dayton, Ohio reported that crews doing roadwork in Canton had uncovered a large section of bricks that were a part of the original Lincoln Highway, America's first highway, but now mainly covered by US-30.

They are digging up part of Tuscarawas Street. These bricks replaced were put down in 1914, replacing ones that had been laid earlier.

Surprisingly, to me, these bricks are going to be sent to the Great Platte River Road Archway over I-80 in Kearney, Nebraska, about the half-way point of the old Lincoln Highway. There, they'll be cobbled together to form a 16 foot wide, 30 foot long stretch of the road.

The museum documents the history of transportation in the US from wagon trails to the present, with a big emphasis on the Lincoln Highway, which is located a few miles away. They are very happy and were hoping to find a brick company to make the bricks, or would have been satisfied with just a few original ones.

There is some question as to whether the bricks will be donated or loaned. Either way, Canton says it will not pay the cost to ship them.

At one time, Canton was called the brick-making capital of the world. Plus, the museum has a 130 foot-long metal bridge made by the Canton Bridge Company.

Most of the information from August 8th CantonRep.com by Ed Balint.

Here's hoping that they find a way to get those bricks to Kearney.

To Brick or Not to Brick? --RoadDog