Zanesville

Town and administrative headquarters of Muskingum County, north-central Ohio; population (1990) 26,800. It is situated on the Muskingum River, at the mouth of the Licking River, 84 km/52 mi east of Columbus. Current manufactures include ceramic tiles and pottery, glass, transformers, sheet steel, batteries, radiators, cement, and hydraulic and farm machinery. Packaged meats and dairy items are also produced.

Zane Grey, the prolific author of Westerns, and grandson of Zanesville's founder, was born here in 1875. Nearby deposits of clay, oil, natural gas, sand, limestone, and iron ore spurred the city's growth, as did its location on waterways and the National Road and its two years as state capital (1810-12). It was once considered the pottery capital of the USA. The town is the site of the National Road-Zane Grey museum.