Honoring Union Soliders With a Highway – Part 2

As I noted back on this post, it was back in 1934 that the idea of having U. S. Route 6 designated as the Grand Army of the Republic Highway was first proposed.

"Even before U.S. 6 had achieved its status as a coast-to-coast highway,” I wrote, "it had attracted the attention of two Civil War organizations, the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.), comprised of veterans of the Union forces, and the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (S.U.V.C.W.). The S.U.V.C.W. had hoped to name a memorial highway to honor the fallen Union soldiers, and U.S. 6 was an appealing choice as it extended across the country.

"And so, in 1934 Major William L. Anderson of the U.S. Army proposed designating U.S. 6 as the Grand Army of the Republic Highway. Each of the fourteen U.S. 6 states was asked to act on the proposal. 

"Uniquely shaped highway signs with the star-shaped G.A.R. insignia were to be erected in all of the states.”

But for various reasons, it took some time for all of the fourteen states to pass legislation to officially adopt the G.A.R. Highway name. This clipping from the Feb. 4, 1937 Sandusky Register notes a lack of enthusiasm on the part of some Fremont, Ohio businessmen.

But it looks like the idea was heartily endorsed in Sandusky, where the Ohio Soldiers' & Sailors' Home is located. This article from the July 30, 1937 Sandusky Register notes that as part of the upcoming annual reunion of northern Ohio Civil War Veterans at the Home on August 7th and 8th, “This section of Route 6 will be dedicated as the Grand Army of the Republic Highway.”

This clipping from the Feb. 5, 1938 Newark Advocate about a recent meeting of the Inscho Camp of the Sons of Union Veterans notes, “State Highway 6, passing through northern Ohio is a part of the highway that extends from Rhode Island to the Pacific coast, has been named the Grand Army of the Republic highway in honor of the parent organization, the G. A. R.”

But were the signs up yet? It’s unclear.

A layout drawing for the unique Grand Army of the Republic sign, on display in the museum at the Ohio Soldier’s & Sailors’ Home in Sandusky, is dated January 10, 1945.

Later that year, an article in the October 4, 1945 edition of the Massillon Evening Independent provides a progress report on the passing of legislation in the fourteen states to designate Route 6 as the G.A.R. Highway. 

As the article notes, Ohio – as well as Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Indiana, Nebraska and California – “have endorsed the action.” But Pennsylvania, Illinois, Iowa, Utah, Nevada and Colorado were apparently dragging their feet, to the disappointment of “white-haired Civil War veterans” at the 79th annual encampment of the G.A.R.

It would take another eight years or so, but – finally – on May 3, 1953, a formal dedication of the Grand Army of the Republic Highway took place in Long Beach, California, with service organizations including the SUVCW in attendance.

On May 4, 1953 the Newark Advocate included this small item on its front page, which referenced the G.A.R. Highway dedication ceremonies that had taken place on Cleveland Public Square the day before.

The observation of the Civil War Centennial in 1961 provided an opportunity to rededicate the Highway locally. This clipping from the August 9, 1961 Chronicle-Telegram mentions, “The 103rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Association will honor all Ohio Civil War dead by rededicating the Grand Army of the Republic Highway (Rts. 6 and 2).”

An article in the August 14, 1961 Chronicle-Telegram described the celebration. “This was Saturday, August 12, 1961 and the occasion was the 95th Reunion of the 103rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Association and the 74th Reunion of the Sons and Daughters of the OVI commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Civil War. It was Sheffield Lake’s biggest celebration in its century and a quarter history. More than 1,000 participated in the parade, watched by an estimated 3,000 persons. The activities and the spirit was reminiscent of an era no longer possible to grasp in this missile propelled generation.

“President Carr of Oberlin College introduced the guest speakers and the rededication of State Route 2 and U. S. 6, known as Lake Road in the small community, immediately followed.

“A sign was erected designating the road as the Grand Army of the Republic Highway in honor of the soldiers who fought in the four-year Civil War.”

The article notes that at the conclusion of the day's festivities, “Within minutes, high powered automobiles raced down East Lake Rd. once again, the occupants unaware that this was actually the Grand Army of the Republic Highway and that history had been relived and reviewed here briefly only moments before.”

I suspect that it was that G.A.R. Highway sign erected in Sheffield Lake in 1961 that I first observed in the mid-1970s, only to be concerned when it disappeared in the 1990s. 

Today, happily, the signs are almost ubiquitous on the highway between Vermilion and Avon Lake.

That’s a wonderful thing. All we have to do now is understand how much time and effort it took to get the signs there – and remember the men that they honor.