The American Concrete Pavement Association (ACPA) added a significant artifact to its collection of historical items in early June, 2020.
The samples are from what is believed to be the
first concrete pavement placed in the United States
between 1891 and 1893 in Bellefontaine, Ohio.
A 3-foot x 4-foot section and an 18-inch by 18-inch cubed piece.
Most unique about these new artifacts:
• Size: Largest Bellefontaine samples located in decades
• Dimpled surface texture. The dimpled texture was rolled into the surface, but from historic accounts was determined insufficient in providing traction for horse hooves.
• Remnants of base material adhered to the samples: Large, 3-inch to 4-inch, stones are partially embedded to the slab bottom.
These new artifacts will add significantly to the understanding of the first concrete pavement. Both were donated by CTLGroup, and Jerry Voigt, President and CEO-ACPA, delivered both last week for temporary storage at Quality Saw & Seal, an ACPA member. Historic records are being reviewed presently to determine if it can be confirmed that they were extracted from one of the historic streets. If so, why they were removed and how they came into CTLGroup’s possession.
Another theory is that the slabs may be the lost slabs shown at the 1893 World’s Fair (Columbian Exposition) in Chicago, Illinois, USA.