2022 Spring Speaker Series – Lisa Uhrig

Exploring Zane’s Trace through Ross County
Featuring Ross County Historical Society Photo Archivist
Lisa Uhrig, Chillicothe.
Wednesday, May 25, 7:30 p.m.
In 1797, Ebenezer Zane began building a road through the Northwest Territory from Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia) to Limestone (now Maysville)
Kentucky. It helped bring settlers and commerce to a large region of what would soon become the new state of Ohio, including Ross County. Photo Archivist Lisa Uhrig’s interest in Zane’s Trace began when a donor gave the McKell Library a collection of photographs of an ancestor’s farm located in Huntington Township and told of hearing stories as a child that Zane’s Trace had run through the property. This property was only about three miles from Lisa’s childhood home. Could this road have been a section of the original Trace? Lisa was determined to learn more. The result is an intriguing presentation she has compiled from evidence found in county histories, early traveler’s diary accounts, family stories passed down through generations, and on-site visits that reveal the story of Zane’s Trace path through Ross County.