When Tom and I got back in the car after visiting the Armstrong Air and Space Museum, Tom asked for some cookies.  When I pack a lunch to eat in the car, I always bring cookies along.  But we ate at Al’s Woody’s Diner so I didn’t bring any cookies long.  I looked at the map to see what towns were on the way home, and Bellefontaine is the closest town that had some size to it.  It also has a cookie store and we decided to head there.

We weren’t in Bellefontaine very long, but we hit three high spots – literally.  On the way there, Tom was telling me that Bellefontaine had the first concrete road in the United States.  Something he remembered from his Civil Engineering days.  Turns out the cookie place was on the first concrete street.

George Bartholomew invented a process for paving using Portland cement, which until then had been used in stone construction. A small section of Main Street, on the west side of the Logan County Courthouse, was the first to be paved using that process. When that proved successful, Court Avenue, which runs along the south side of the courthouse, was paved with concrete. Court Avenue has retained its original concrete pavement for more than 100 years. At its centennial, the street was closed to vehicular traffic and a statue of Bartholomew placed at its Main Street end; it became a pedestrian way. Since then one lane has been reopened for eastbound traffic.

We parked on Court Avenue and read about George Bartholomew and his famous street.  The street is a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.  The street appears to be holding up pretty well and has several historic monuments as well as the statue of George Bartholomew.

After checking out the street, we headed into the One-Eyed Cookie Lab.  The sign outside had a picture of a stuffed chocolate chip cookie that looked delicious.  But, when we got inside, the selection of cookies was limited.  The woman working in the shop, the daughter of the owner, said that the stuffed and frosted cookies sold out pretty quickly every morning.  There was a special price for four cookies, so we bought three chocolate chips and one sugar cookie.

When we got back to the car, we split one of the chocolate chip cookies.  It has salt on top!  Yuck!  Being on a low-sodium diet, we wouldn’t have bought it if we had known it was salt.  I thought, from looking at it, that it was sugar.  If you like salted cookies, then you will probably like these, but Tom and I won’t go back.

Our last stop in Bellefontaine was the highest place in Ohio – Campbell Hill.  I had to make Tom stop there.  He kept telling me he had been there before and it wasn’t anything special.  But it was right on our way so I finally convinced him to stop.

Campbell Hill is named after Charles Campbell, the farmer who owned the land in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.  In 1950, the family deeded Campbell Hill and the surrounding 57.5 acres to the U.S. government. The government stationed the 664th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron on the hill in 1951. This military unit was responsible for monitoring for possible aerospace attacks from the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The base in Bellefontaine was closed in 1969 although a small museum remains in one of the buildings.

Campbell Hill is the highest elevation in Ohio at 1,549 feet.  That ranks 43 among the states, so it isn’t very impressive compared to a lot of highest points.  The view was nice and there were several historic markers.  There was even a little certificate provided by the High Pointers Foundation saying that we stood on the highest point in Ohio.

I had never hear of the High Pointers Foundation.  They are dedicated to the education, support, and conservation of the highest point in each of the 50 United States.

• Supports public and private efforts to maintain the integrity of and safe access to state highpoints
• Aids in the conservation of the highpoints and their environs
• Provides a forum for education about the 50 US state highpoints
• Maintains positive relationships with owners of highpoints on private property
• Assists in the care and maintenance of highpoints

I liked their signs and the little certificate I picked up.  I have met people who have visiting the highest point in every state as a quest.  There is even a club you can join.  I’m not that fond of climbing mountains, so Ohio’s highest point suited me just fine.

Although we didn’t spend a lot of time in Bellefontaine, it was a fun place to visit with some definite high points.  Have you been there?