Early History
Court Avenue, like Bellefontaine's other streets, was originally a dirt road that could easily become dusty or muddy in bad weather. In 1886, concrete pioneer George Bartholomew moved to Logan County, where he found high-quality raw materials used for concrete production. By 1891, he had hopes of using concrete for street pavement, so he gained the Bellefontaine city council's permission to pave a few square feet of the nearby Main Street as a test patch. Although some feared that concrete pavement would quickly be damaged or destroyed, the pavement endured, and in 1893, the council permitted the pavement of all the streets surrounding the courthouse, including Court Avenue. While Bartholomew provided the materials, the actual process of laying the concrete was led by James Wonders, the county engineer. The council was not initially enthusiastic about the proposal, nevertheless; having found no previous examples of such paving methods, it required Bartholomew to donate the cement and to pay a $5,000 bond to ensure that the pavement would last for five years. These fears also led authorities to have the concrete covered in sawdust in cold weather.
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