Galion was the lucky choice of the original Lincoln Highway, the brainchild of three industrialists (Frank Seiberling of Goodyear, Henry Joy of Packard Motors and Carl Fisher of Prest-O-Lite), who, in 1913, envisioned a coast-to-coast "rock" highway stretching across the U.S. to allow the "safest and fastest" route, and also encourage more feeder roads to be built to connect it. There were virtually no paved roads outside a city limits back then, and most roads were described as "that space between two fencerows that farmers shared..."

In fact, most people knew only about the roads (paths or trails) existing within ten miles of their home, and travel of any kind was either done by train, or by an arduous adventure involving thought-out provisioning. Galion's Harding Way was originally named Main Street, but in 1914 became Lincoln Way. Then in 1926, a political flap over the earliest "Marion to Lima" route that was never actually sanctioned, finally resulted in the naming of the "Harding Highway" (and later in 1931, U.S. 30 South). Since Galion had now lost the Lincoln Highway to a straightening through Leesville and Crestline, the name of the street through town became Harding Way.

Now the history of this superlative road is being discovered with a State Byway recognition, and an effort to achieve National Byway recognition in Ohio.

Visit the website to learn more about this road being the percursor of our interstate system today.