New Rome can be understood through the National Road as a place with a distinctive transportation history. When the settlement of Rome, later called New Rome, was founded, the National Road was an important east-west connection. Rome was planned along this road in 1836; the town plan called for 32 lots on its north and south sides. The transportation corridor and the town’s early layout are therefore linked: the road was important to the town’s founding, and the lots lay on both sides of it. Travelers who choose destinations for their cultural and historical significance will find a specific perspective here on the establishment of a settlement along a long-distance road.
The National Road and transportation history
The National Road was originally unpaved. After heavy rain, oxen had to pull stagecoaches through the mud onto drier ground. The east-west connection was important, but rain and road conditions made travel difficult at the time. This contrast brings together two sides of the same story: the route’s importance and the hardship of traveling on it.
After 1915, the Columbus, London and Springfield Interurban Line began operating; stagecoach routes were discontinued afterward. This sequence marks two different phases of transportation in the New Rome area: first the stagecoaches, then the interurban connection.
Stagecoaches and taverns
The Yeager Home was built before the War of 1812. Long before the settlement was established, it served for many years as an important stagecoach stop and tavern. Rome itself became a popular stagecoach stop for travelers heading east and west. The timeline is useful to note: the Yeager Home belongs to the settlement’s early history, while Rome later gained importance as a stop for travelers.
In the Rome area, the Daniel McFarland Tavern was considered the best-known of several taverns. Whereas the Yeager Home is noted for its role as a stagecoach stop, this detail highlights the renown of another tavern.
People and local connections
The town’s history also includes specific people. Local merchant O. G. Riebel was elected the first mayor and set up part of the veranda beside his grocery store as the mayor’s office. The store was later demolished. The office’s location on a veranda next to the store connects a local everyday place with the town’s civic function at the time.
James D. Kinnaird lined the driveway to his home with maple trees; the road is now called Maple Drive. The two stories emphasize different things: one focuses on the town’s early civic function, the other on a personal connection to the area.
The neighborhood’s built character
Most of the surviving houses in New Rome have been converted into businesses; little of the 19th-century character remains. This is important to keep in mind when considering the area’s built environment: the National Road’s historical significance and the settlement’s planning do not mean that much of the 19th-century character has been preserved. If you are primarily looking for a largely intact historic streetscape when choosing a destination, you should take this distinction into account.
The New Rome neighborhood lies south of Broad Street, next to Prairie Norton Elementary School.
Discover more destinations: East Columbus, Lincoln Village, Worthington Southwest.
For the broader travel overview: Columbus.
