New SW Ohio Highway Designation Honors Buffalo Soldier General

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(Wilberforce, Ohio) – Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has signed House Bill 253, designating 85 miles of Ohio roadway from Greene County to Brown County as the Brigadier General Charles Young Memorial Historical Corridor. 

Governor DeWine signed the bill in front of the Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument in Wilberforce, where the newly designated corridor starts along U.S. 42 in Greene County. The corridor then follows U.S. 68 into Clinton County to U.S. 62 in Brown County, ending at the Simon Kenton Memorial Bridge near Ripley, where Brigadier General Young spent most of his childhood. Young, who was posthumously promoted to Brigadier General in 2021, helped pave the way for African Americans in the United States military, becoming the third African American to graduate from West Point and serving with the famed Buffalo Soldiers as a second lieutenant in the Ninth Cavalry. He later served as a distinguished professor at Wilberforce University in Greene County and was the first African American superintendent of a national park. At the time of his death in 1922, he was the highest-ranking African American officer in the Army.

“Today we acknowledge Brigadier General Young’s tremendous achievements, not only in Ohio but throughout the United States and the world,” said Governor DeWine. “With the designation of this new corridor today, those who travel through this region will have the opportunity to learn about and remember Brigadier General Young and his military service, which brought honor to Ohio and the rest of the country.” 

House Bill 253 was sponsored by Rep. Adam Holmes (R-Nashport) and Rep. Terrence Upchurch (D-Cleveland). The Ohio Department of Transportation will erect signs along the corridor to alert travelers to its historical significance. 

After reaching the Simon Kenton Memorial Bridge, the Brigadier General Charles Young Memorial Historical Corridor continues an additional 85 miles in Kentucky, ending at the Camp Nelson Monument in Nicholasville. In total, the corridor spans 170 miles across both states.