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Old National Road Business Association
Columbus, OH
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Old National Road Business Association
Columbus, OH
About Us
The Old National Road Business Association seeks to provide a voice for business and property owners on Main Street. We seek to promote the establishment, improvement and prosperity of the businesses and the business community located on the East Main Street corridor of the Near East Side of Columbus through:
Conducting meetings to exchange information and deal with issues common to us all.
Working collaboratively with adjacent business and resident associations, to support the continued economic growth, development, and prosperity of the people and neighborhoods bordering the Main Street Corridor.
Engaging in public relations and marketing activities to promote the Main Street businesses, business community, and surrounding neighborhoods.
Promoting changes that will foster improvements, rehabilitation and new construction in the area.
Our Board
| Philip Haynes - Chair | Compro Tax |
| Toni Everhart - Vice Chair | J.P.'s BBQ Ribs |
| Clarence Thompson - Treasurer | Diversified Community Services CDC |
| Robert Schilling - Secretary | Urban Restorations LLC |
| William Berry | Set it Off Barber Styling |
| Yuri Harrington | Salvation Army |
| Carla Fountaine | Children's Hospital |
| Samira Jallaq | Sam Food |
| John Dawson | Community for New Direction |
| Jon Beard | Columbus Compact Corporation |
The Old National Road and East Main Street
The National Road (also known as the Cumberland Road) was originally envisioned by President George Washington, created by an Act of Congress in 1806, and signed into law by President Thomas Jefferson. The 800-mile stretch from Baltimore, Maryland to Vandalia, Illinois was the nation’s first federally funded roadway. It served as the most significant predecessor to Route 40, and is often referred to as America’s Main Street.
In 1825, ground was broken in Ohio, with the National Road reaching Zanesville in 1830 and Columbus in 1833. The National Road entered Columbus from the east on Friend Street (now Main Street), turned north on High Street, and turned back west on Broad Street across the Scioto River and through Franklinton. On the Near East Side, National Road mile markers were located at the Northwest corner of Main and Morrison (marking 255 miles from Cumberland, MD), and just east of Main and 18th (marking 256 miles from Cumberland). The road immediately attracted travelers and commerce to our state, including thousands of wagons, coaches and carriages, riders on horseback and droves of livestock. It also spurred the plotting of new towns and stimulated the growth of existing communities.
The National Road began to decline in the mid-nineteenth century with the advent of railroad travel, and it was renamed Route 40 in 1926. A couple decades later, Route 40 deviated from its historical alignment on Main Street, and the connection of the Near East side of Columbus to America’s National Road was severed. The Old National Road Business Association seeks to promote the connection of this historic area to America’s earliest days.