The Opening of the National Road and the Turnpike Plank Road

The opening of the portion of the national Road (Main Street) connecting Zanesville with Columbus in 1833, and the building of the Turnpike Plank Road (Broad Street) connecting Granville with Columbus in 1852, created the groundwork for settlement of the Bexley area.

Pioneers created farmlands from the lush forests. Homes, taverns, school houses and small businesses began to spring up.