John Milton Binckley, June 1859 Travel Diary, Page 32

[John Milton Binckley, June 1859 Travel Diary, page 32. Many thanks to William Myers, Mary Davy, Sally Young and Sue Davis for their ongoing research collaboration; specifically to William for providing scans of the original document, and in turn many thanks to Peter Johnston Binckley and Patricia D'Arcy "Trish" Binckley (1951-2007), at the source. This is my rough transcription. Extra paragraph breaks inserted for easier reading.]

[continued] Cambridge. Here in 1851, I was on my way joyfully to home after an absence, the first since my boyhood and the longest in my life then, when the stage upset just out of town, on the East, much fun we had, and a little romance with a young lady of Zanesville, who having since turned out unfortunately, has I am informed, inhabited unfrequented(?) regions in the city of Worthington.

The town, of course, remains where it did, but the railroad passes below on the hillside, hiding by the upper side bank the whole town. Just at the station house stands an old and decaying farm house; once as I have no doubt, the finest of the settlement, and a hotel of business and note.

That was in the good old days of the great western road, on which this & my native town stood, the grand thoroughfare to all west of the mts.

Shortly after Cambridge, a tunnel. Here follow those little towns in Muskingham County, Norwich, Concord, etc.

Zanesville in sight. The Muskingham is a lovely stream. Looks at this point very like the James; valley and all in Va. [to be continued.]  

[John Milton Binckley (1831-1878).]