What's Happening in Newark, OH…

A major construction project in downtown Newark has unexpectedly revealed a lot of information about the history of the city, as well as Licking County.

Crews are overhauling sewers and renovating the streets near the Licking County Courthouse in Newark's downtown. The construction project, which is budgeted at almost $20m, is necessary to separate the utility lines that are located beneath the streets near the square, and was required by the Environmental Protection Agency. The whole project is expected to take almost three years, and finish in 2017, but just eight months into the work, crews are unearthing a number of interesting relics.

Crews have uncovered old interurban trolley tracks from the line that ran from Newark to Columbus and Zanesville in the early years of the 20th Century. Most people, even experts from The Works, a local museum, thought the tracks were long gone, and were pleasantly surprised to find them still extant.

Crews working on South Second Street found sandstone blocks that had been cut for the Ohio and Erie Canal in the early 1800s. Jeff Hall, Newark's mayor, said the city hopes to reuse the blocks in various areas throughout Newark, including parks.

The city and museum officials could work with a brochure printing company to create a booklet about the discoveries, and mail it to residents, who in general have shown interest in the finds.