Author reveals how Ohio inmates helped rebuild National Road | Book Talk

The National Road was a triumph of construction. Also known as the Cumberland Road, it was financed by the federal government and stretched from Maryland to Illinois, where funding ran out. Its usefulness, like that of the canal system, dwindled at the dawn of railroad travel.

Jeffrey Alan John explores Ohio’s part in the National Road’s revival in “Progressives and Prison Labor: Rebuilding Ohio’s National Road During World War I.”

By 1900, the road was “nothing more than a country lane with a crumbling, muddy track” and potholes like those of today. The rise in popularity of auto travel made the old road useful again and prompted upgrades.

It isn’t explained where the original road workers came from, but in 1917 a group came to Gov. James M. Cox to lobby for more improvements, citing the expectation that the road would be needed to carry war materials. The lobbyists included a Goodyear executive and a truck driver, both of whom had obvious interests in seeing the road in drivable condition.

Labor was needed, and Cox proposed that prison labor be used in a brick factory and to build their own housing as well as the actual road work. They earned 16 cents a day and were transported in shackles, though several escaped. The first Army trucks traveled on the restored road just days before the Armistice was signed.

John devotes much research to the number of Black prisoners who worked on the road and their terrible living conditions on the job site and when they were returned to the Ohio Penitentiary and the Mansfield Reformatory. The influenza epidemic swept through the prisons and many died. The aftermath included a horrific fire in 1930 that killed 322 inmates. Much of the National Road has been replaced by I-70, and little remains of the original.

“Progressives and Prison Labor” (123 pages, hardcover) costs $60 from University of Akron Press. John, a Dayton native, is a professor emeritus at Wright State University.

Events

Mentor Public Library (8215 Mentor Ave.): Connie Schultz talks about her debut storybook “Lola and the Troll,” 2 to 3 p.m. Sunday. Register at mentorpl.org.

Loganberry Books (13015 Larchmere Blvd., Shaker Heights): Lara Lillibridge talks about her memoir “The Truth About Unringing Phones: Essays on Yearning,” 3 p.m. Sunday. At 7 p.m. Wednesday, three-time Bram Stoker Award winner Gwendolyn Kiste talks to fellow horror writer K.P. Kulski about “The Haunting of Velkwood.”

Reed Memorial Library (167 E. Main St., Ravenna): Dontez James reads from his romance “Beautiful Hue,” 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday.

Cleveland Jewish Book Festival: In a virtual presentation at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Allison Gilbert (“Listen, World! How the Intrepid Elsie Robinson Became America’s Most-Read Woman”), Christopher Gorham (“The Confidante: The Untold Story of the Woman Who Helped Win WWII and Shape Modern America”) and Linda Kass (“Bessie: A Novel”) celebrate Women’s History Month. At 10 a.m. Tuesday, Dalia Feldheim talks about “Dare to Lead Like a Girl: How to Survive and Thrive in the Corporate Jungle.” Tickets at mandeljcc.org/bookfest.

Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County (Poland branch, 311 S. Main St.): Allan May, author of “Crimetown U.S.A.: The History of the Mahoning Valley Mafia: Organized Crime Activity in Ohio’s Steel Valley,” appears after the library general membership meeting, 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Medina High School (777 E. Union St.): Raina Telgemeier, author of graphic novels “Smile” and Ghosts,” appears at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Mac’s Backs (1820 Coventry Road, Cleveland Heights): Poets Isaiah Hunt, Max Nobis and Benjamin Rhodes read from their work Wednesday, 7 to 8 p.m.

Kirtland Public Library (9267 Chillicothe Road): Jim Sweeney signs “What’s the Deal with Dead Man’s Curve? And Other Really Good Questions about Cleveland,” 7 p.m. Wednesday. Register at kirtland.lib.oh.us.

Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library: Christopher Paolini, author of “Eragon” and “Brisngr,” joins the Online Author Talk Series with “20 Years of Dragon-Riding,” 4 to 5 p.m. Thursday. Register at smfpl.org.

Cuyahoga County Public Library (Middleburg Heights branch, 16699 Bagley Road): Carlo Wolff talks about “Invisible Soul: Uncovering Cleveland’s Underground Scene,” 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.

Medina County District Library (210 S. Broadway St.): Amanda Flower joins the Cozy Mystery Series to talk about “Crime and Cherry Pits,” 6:30 to 8 p.m. Friday. Register at mcdl.info.

Cleveland Public Library (325 Superior Ave.): Lisa Unger (“In the Blood”) joins the Writers Unplugged series to talk about her novel “The New Couple in 5B,” 7 to 8:30 p.m. Friday. Register at cpl.com.

Stark Library (715 Market Ave. N., Canton): A Local Author Fair will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Barnes & Noble (4015 Medina Road, Bath): A Spring Local Author Exhibition will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, with authors Tim Harnett (“No Pants Required: Craft Cocktails for the Couch”), John Bernatovicz (“ HR Like a Boss”), S. Victor Fleischer (“Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company: A Photographic History”), Steve Sefner (“The Golden Dream: The Story of the 2001-02 Kent State Men's Basketball Elite 8 Season”), Christine Donmoyer (“Invisible Disability: Living with Macular Degeneration”), Anjita Jain (“Leo and the Magic Telescope”), Mariellen Rich (“My Sunshine Space”), Eric J. Martin (“Meet the Zools”), Misty Wilson (“Play Like a Girl”), John A. Ward (“ Welcome to Scareville” series), Selin Senol-Akin (“The Catalyst”). Colleen Tews (“Vampire Vixen” series), Susan Bagby (“Home for Love”), Diandra Liccardo (“Butterflies”) and Samantha Gail (“Pay the Price”).

Barnes & Noble (7900 Mentor Ave., Mentor): Jamey Altizer reads from his storybook “Forest Town Friends,” 1 p.m. Saturday.

Barnes & Noble (28801 Chagrin Blvd., Woodmere): Contributors Angela Crook, Mary Grimm, Susan Petrone, D.M. Pulley and Abby Vandiver read from and sign “Cleveland Noir,” 2 p.m. Saturday.

B-Side (2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Heights): Steve Traina talks about “La Cave: Cleveland’s Legendary Music Club and the ‘60s Folk-to-Rock Revolution,” 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday.

Email information about books of local interest, and event notices at least two weeks in advance to BeaconBookTalk@gmail.com and bjnews@thebeaconjournal.com. Barbara McIntyre tweets at @BarbaraMcI.

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This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: ‘Progressives and Prison Labor’ tells Ohio story of National Road