America 250 Historical Driving Tour | Toll House
Stop #2 | Address: Near the current log cabin on the Wyandot Co. Fairgrounds (10171 OH-53, Upper Sandusky)
The first attempt to establish a true “road” came about during the War of 1812 when General William Henry Harrison established the “Old War Road.” His troops cut out a route which ran from Delaware, passed roughly north-south through the central portion of the county, including Upper Sandusky and the area which would become McCutchenville, extending to Fremont. It was known as the Harrison Trail and follows roughly the same path as present-day United States Highway 53.
Shortly after the establishment of Upper Sandusky as the county seat in 1845, plans were begun to create a more permanent road north to Lower Sandusky (Fremont). A plank road running from Columbus to Tiffin was planned in 1848. On March 22, 1849, the Ohio General Assembly passed an act incorporating the Lower Sandusky, Tiffin and Fort Ball Plank Road Company. Wyandot County residents Joseph McCutchen, Robert McKelley, and Andrew McElvain were initial subscribers. One year later, on March 23, the Tiffin and Osceola Plank Road Company was incorporated by the state. This action extended the route through Wyandot County to Bucyrus.
The acts provided that the roadbed should be constructed at least eight feet wide of wood planks at least three inches thick and the roadway should be at least sixteen feet wide if double tracked. They further decreed that a properly maintained and drained earthen wagon track should be placed alongside the plank road for use by “animals, teams, and travelers of every description.” The road appeared like a giant wooden sidewalk extending to the horizon.
The acts further allowed the owners to erect gates and tollhouses after every five miles of plank road was completed. Everyone who used the road or path was required to pay a toll. Upper Sandusky’s tollhouse stood near the location of the present Wyandot County Fairgrounds. The toll was 12 ½ cents to run a team of horses from Upper Sandusky to Tiffin. After about five years, the roads became too difficult to maintain due to the constantly warping planks. Eventually the roads were abandoned, planks burned, and the tollhouses torn down. None of the investors in the plank roads ever made a profit. It would be many more years until gravel pikes would appear in the county.
Approximate Building Location (No Longer Standing): 10171 State Route 53 North, Upper Sandusky, Ohio 43351 (Near the current log cabin on the Wyandot County Fairgrounds.)
Approximate GPS Location: 40.8439922°N, -83.2803030°W
About “Tracking the Troops, Tippecanoe & Perry, Too!” This driving tour is a five-county collaborative project with Wyandot, Seneca, Sandusky, Wood and Ottawa counties that takes you on a self-guided driving tour following the military trail of General William Henry Harrison during the War of 1812. Harrison would later become the ninth president of the United States and has the shortest presidency, dying from pneumonia one month after having taken the oath of office.
