photo by: Gage Vota

The Ohio Historic National Road Association recently received the 2025 Byway Leveraging Resources Award for its Blaine Bridge Day that celebrates the historic S Bridge in Blaine.

The Ohio Historic National Road Association recently received the 2025 Byway Leveraging Resources Award, celebrating their collaborative educational program that brings history to life for local students through an immersive Blaine Bridge Day annual event.

“I think one of the main reasons was because we do work with a lot of different groups,” Ohio Historic National Road Association President Cathryn Stanley said. “There’s our Historic National Road Association, the Tourism Office, the Pease Township, Bridgeport schools, the Ohio Department of Transportation, and the Belmont County Engineer. And what I think the National Scenic Byway people really liked was the bridge itself that we preserved with the original brick, it looks so great and that we bring the students there to see it.”

Blaine Bridge Day engages fifth-grade students from Bridgeport Middle School in a hands-on exploration of the historic 1828 Blaine S. Bridge, Ohio’s Bicentennial Bridge and a designated National Register landmark.

The event combines local history with interactive learning, featuring wagon rides, period games, art projects, and even antique car displays.

Stanley said that the event has been occurring every October for the past four years, but she isn’t optimistic that it will be able to be held this year due to the Blaine Bridge construction project that will be underway right above the S bridge.

Stanley said that the students come to the event and get to ride a horse-drawn wagon, see antique cars and do an art project and play games based on the time period that the bridge was built.

“By connecting students with the past through real-world experiences, this program shows how byways can inspire the next generation,” National Scenic Byway Association Executive Director Sharon Strouse said. “It’s a perfect example of how partnerships and creative thinking can make a lasting impact using existing local resources.”

Belmont County Tourism Council Executive Director Jackee Pugh said that this area has been a corridor for transportation since Native Americans used it as a footpath, Ebenezer Zane blazed it as a trail, Braddock marched troops over it in the American Revolution, and World War II convoys carried men and supplies over it.

When the nation expanded west, the National Road was a main route filled with covered wagons, carriages, and drovers leading herds of livestock.

“Belmont County Tourism is proud to have such strong community partners, to be able to support events that bring together education with Bridgeport schools and the Ohio National Road Association, and just be able to educate and bring awareness to the Ohio National Road right here in Belmont County, but also the historic Blaine Bridge,” Pugh said.