Carlisle Pike was once major route into city
The Carlisle Pike, a road that entered Bellefontaine at the intersection of Main Street and Lake Avenue, was once the major route into town prior to the designation of U.S. Route 68. The final section of Carlisle Street was recently vacated to develop a general store at the intersection. (EXAMINER PHOTO | JOEL E. MAST)
Long before U.S. Route 68 became a major thoroughfare through the city, travelers from the south arrived in the city via a historic route known as the Carlisle Pike at an important junction that provided access to the young city as well as a noted tourist destination west of the city.
The recent demolition of the Hopewell Dairy complex and the approved vacation of Carlisle Street in preparation of future development calls for some reflection on this site.
The intersection of Lake Avenue and Main Street, and particularly Carlisle Street, is a unique point on the map. This has always been a very busy junction point. It was once a “six-point” corner, further complicated by a railroad track.
Carlisle Street was originally called the Carlisle Pike, which was the direct extension of County Road 18 into town. The Carlisle Pike runs across Logan, Champaign, Clark and Montgomery counties as the old road to and from Dayton. The portion in Montgomery County is still called Bellefontaine Road. The road struck the old National Road (U.S. Route 40) at New Carlisle, thus the name for the road.
1860S MAP SECTION | LOGAN COUNTUTY HISTORY CENTER
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