I-77 took hamlets off the main line
By Kate York, kyork@mariettatimes.comBefore Interstate 77 became part of the Mid-Ohio Valley, the major north-south route was U.S. 21, which wound through the communities of Lower Salem, Elba and Macksburg and into Dexter City in Noble County.
Now Ohio 821, the roadway was busy, and so were the communities it bisected.
"Us kids were forever being cautioned to stay off the highway, away from the big trucks that came through one after another," Dexter City Mayor Emily Warren once told The Marietta Times.
But after the interstate was built, those trucks had a better route and the populations and relevance of those communities began to shrink.
The interstate, coupled with the frequent flooding of Duck Creek, have essentially made a ghost town of Elba, once home to a railroad station, coal mines and several businesses.
Today, there are only a handful of homes left and no businesses.
"It's not even a community anymore really, although the signs (saying 'Elba') are still up," said one-time resident Cheryl Evans, 62. "There's nothing left. I don't even go through there anymore."
In its heyday, Elba had hundreds of residents, three competing general stores, several grocery stores, a hotel, church and a few doctors.
Highway 21 served for years as the main route for people who worked in Cleveland's steel mills and Akron's tire factories who had relatives in West Virginia.
By 1982, the last store and even the post office were closed in Elba.
There was a similar decline in nearby Dexter City, which had a school, numerous stores and population much higher than the fewer than 200 people who live there today.
"If people still had to come through the area to get somewhere, there would need to be gas stations, restaurants and all kinds of stuff," said Evans. "I don't think it would be as empty as it is today."
But there are also advantages to the lack of traffic coming through, say some residents.
"It's quiet here, and I think that's why people live here," said Ken Haas, of Lower Salem. "I like the peace. We're not a ghost town like some other places. We're just a nice little community."
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flabuckeye
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07-12-09 11:51 AM
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The gas station on the right, going north in Elba, had a large sign " Gas is cheap, only the taxes are high. Gas 10 cents- Tax 6 cents." Hand pump to fill the glass to the amount you desired, then drain to the tank. The mine RR branch which crossed US-21 just south of Elba was one reason the town flooded so soon. From Macksburg it was a long drive on the ridge to come back to 21 at Lower Salem. But then you would not see the "Five Sidded Barn."
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Broken
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07-11-09 10:03 PM
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freddy1, have you ever considered becoming a hermit and moving to a shack in the middle of nowhere? It seems like you would never be happy with society.
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peppie
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07-11-09 7:14 PM
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I feel sorry for someone like Freda1, so full of hate and self pity.
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packyrat
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07-11-09 12:17 PM
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Since my grandparents lived near Canton, I well remember travelling old 21 many times as a child and of all those Sundays when dad would surprise us after church by driving all the way up to Dexter City to eat at the original Ogle's restaurant. I-77 certainly was a boon to the area, but it indeed did take away most of the charm of a trip from Marietta to Cleveland.
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peppie
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07-11-09 12:16 PM
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But I do mean it, I don't hold grudges, life is to short for that.
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peppie
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07-11-09 10:33 AM
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We like to take rides along the old routes on weekends. The scenery is so nice and peaceful. Freddy1, those are nice memories to share with us, thank you.
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Mugwamp
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07-11-09 4:04 AM
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I-77 took our house. We lived on 21 right in the middle of the south off ramp out by the Pit Stop. It was the first property that dad ever owned. I don't know how much they paid him, but we moved into a bran new home in Florida. So even though it was a crushing blow, it was also life changing for the better.
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