forgetful friday part 2

Our second stop was Zanesville—once known as the "pottery capital of the world". It is now a shell of its former self. Main Street was a ghost town. If the only thing you knew about the town was what you saw on I-70, then you'd think it was a strip mall, like Washington.

The walk began at their beautiful county public library. After getting our illusive "Z" stamp, we checked into the nearby Econolodge two blocks away. It was clean and cool but the Wifi sucked. The tv didn't work and the water was cold. It was okay, because I just needed to sleep there.

We walked back to the library and started the route. Our first stop was the waterfront to see the Lorena Steamwheeler (1895). She was named for a famous Civil War ballad written in 1857.  The song has Northern origins. Pastor Henry De Lafayette Webster of Zanesville was jilted by Ella Blockson.  The heartbroken clergy man wrote a long poem about Ella but changed her name to Lorena, an adaption to Lenore from Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven. His friend Joseph Philbrick Webster wrote the music and the song was published in 1857. It became a favorite of Civil War soldiers and after the war many southern women were named Lorena.

But she wasn't at the Zane Landing. There was signs up saying she wouldn't be running until June 20. It was so disappointing. And the sky was tuning black. A storm seemed imminent. It thundered. It lightning. But the storm never materialized.

We came out of them park and tossed the historic Y bridge. It's a three-way bridge that spans the confluence of the Licking and Muskingum rivers in downtown Zanesville. There have been five versions of the bridge, with the current version built in 1984.

At the end of the west side, there was a large circle of Weller vases which the paint was peeling off. This community art project was from 2008.

We turned at the vases and headed up the hill and turned right onto a closed road. The sidewalk area was full of poison ivy. It said so on the instructions.

We crossed the river and the canal over a different bridge and ended up on 6th street. Going up the hill was an army of bronze sculptures on a variety of subjects.

We returned to the hotel and went to look for dinner.

Miles/Steps:          7.81 miles total
Weather:               72, sunny, then stormy

Wildlife:                 2 male mallards

Bathrooms:            none available.