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T-L Photo/ROBERT A. DEFRANK
John Emary, left, owner of Angelina Stone & Marble, and project engineer Mark White show off an award from the National Road Association for restoring the Eagles Nest road marker in Licking County, Ohio. The business has been restoring other National Road markers as well.
BRIDGEPORT — Angelina Stone & Marble is the recipient of a Milestone Preservation Award from the Ohio National Road Association for its work to restore the Eagles Nest Monument in Licking County, Ohio.
The plaque, presented last week, was sponsored by ONRA board member Mike Peppe and reads: “For professional and exceptional workmanship in restoring the one-of-a-kind Eagles Nest Monument to its original glory on the Historic National Road.”
Belmont County ONRA member John Marshall spearheaded the effort to nominate the business. He and member Jeff Aland presented the award to project engineer Mark White.
Eagles Nest is a large granite rock commemorating the experimental paving of a 29-mile section of the National Road, aka U.S. 40, from Zanesville to Hebron between 1914 and 1916. At the time, Arch W. Smith of the Ohio State Highway Department called the newly paved highway “the model concrete road of the world.” Chiseled in the granite rock are renderings of a Conestoga wagon, an early automobile and the distances to Columbus, Ohio, and Cumberland, Maryland, from that point — 32 miles and 220 miles, respectively.
Marshall said the Eagles Nest is a unique and visually striking monument.
“It was created years ago when they changed the original National Road from bricks to cement,” he said. “This Eagles Nest monument in Licking County is a major monument, and it had fallen into disrepair over the years.”
Business owner John Emary said the award came as a surprise, though he noted his business specializes in this type of project, which was completed in May.
“We do all kind of historical masonry restoration. It’s one of our specialities,” he said. “Historical masonry restoration takes years of experience. To be able to use the proper materials to restore it to its original condition, to make sure that everything is properly planned, with chemicals that do not damage the surfaces. The correct molders are used, the correct tooling on the joints, any type of matching materials. We’re certified in different types of restoration patching for stone.”
Emary said preparation is the watchword when taking on such a project.
“Make sure your repair matches the building to where it doesn’t look like a new repair on a historic building. You want the repair to match the building to where it doesn’t look like there was any repairs,” he said.
“We’ve had recognition on several historic projects that we’ve worked on. We do a lot of masonry restoration on historic churches and buildings,” he said. “We do a lot of statue repairs in cemeteries. … You actually have to hand-carve features on the face and hands that are missing to match the statue and make sure everything matches perfectly.”
This summer employees also worked on relocating the McColloch’s Leap monument in Wheeling.
Marshall said the Ohio National Road Association’s award program recognizes individuals and organizations for doing their part to help preserve, promote and enhance the Historic National Road in Ohio. A Milestone Leadership Award and a Milestone Preservation Award acknowledges the service of individuals and organizations throughout Ohio.
“We’re just very pleased and thankful for all the good work Angelina’s done,” Marshall said.
Past recipients of the Milestone Preservation Award in Belmont County have included the Belmont County Board of Commissioners in 2014 for sponsoring the rehabilitation of the Belmont County Sheriff’s Residence, which now serves as the Belmont County Heritage Museum, and the Morristown Historic Preservation Association in 2013 for saving and restoring The Black Horse Inn in Morristown. Award winners have been honored for preserving sites along the National Road in Springfield, Zanesville, Lafayette, Lewisburg and Columbus.
Belmont County Tourism Director Jackee Pugh said the business also restored a mile marker in front of the Belmont County Courthouse in 2020.
“They’re not new to doing some of these markers on the historic National Road,” she said. “They contain a lot of information, so people who really do like traveling the historic National Road look for those markers and will get off and see them and read that information and really enjoy that. It’s an important part of the National Road Association’s mission to make sure all of those mile markers and interpretive signs are restored and up-to-date.”
The Ohio National Road Association Inc. was formed in 2000 to preserve, promote and enhance the Historic National Road in Ohio for present and future generations. ONRA is an all-volunteer, grassroots organization led by an elected executive committee and a board of directors made up of two representatives from each of the 10 National Road counties in Ohio, as well as ‘at-large’ and ex-officio members. For more information about ONRA and the Milestone Award, visit ohionationalroad.org/milestone-award.
Angelina Stone & Marble is located at 55341 Center St., Bridgeport.
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