We Bet You Didn't Know This Small Town In Ohio Was Home To The Oldest Concrete Street In America
By Sarah McCosham|Published November 21, 2022
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Sarah McCosham
Author
I write like it's my job - because it is! I have a Master's in English and love words: crossword puzzles, Scrabble games, Wordle, and, of course, good, old-fashioned books.
I'm a writer and editor at OnlyInYourState, and a contributing writer at Cincinnati Magazine. I love the Great Outdoors and am endlessly awestruck by this beautiful country of ours. Coffee keeps me going, yoga keeps me sane, my kids keep me grounded, and my writing keeps me inspired.
Ohio has some truly exceptional claims to fame, from record-breaking baskets and massive mining buckets to boasting the first professional baseball team and hosting the largest Oktoberfest in the country. Another feather in the Buckeye State’s superlative cap is admittedly a bit bizarre, but no less fascinating. You see, Bellefontaine is home to the oldest concrete street in America, and it’s a huge point of pride for this small Ohio town.
Bellefontaine is a charming town of about 14,000 that's about an hour north of Columbus. It's your quintessential small town in Ohio, with a delightful downtown district filled with historic buildings and locally owned shops.
The town is very proud of its history, with stately buildings like St. Patrick's Catholic Church, the Logan County Courthouse, and the Holland Theatre lining its streets.
As its name suggests, Court Avenue borders the county courthouse. Back in 1893, a man by the name of George Bartholemew convinced the Bellefontaine City Council to try paving Court Avenue around the courthouse with smooth cement.
While ubiquitous today, back in the late 1800s, this unfamiliar mixture called "concrete" had yet to be used to pave streets anywhere in America! Today, you can find the Court Avenue street sign by the courthouse, but you can no longer drive on the street itself.
Oddly enough, Court Avenue isn't Bellefontaine's only superlative street; the town's McKinley Street has been deemed the "world's shortest" street, too! It's only 15 feet long, and, wouldn't you know, it's paved with concrete! Thanks, Mr. Bartholemew!