2009 Scenic Byway Award Winner - Built Project

Fort Steuben Eastern Gateway Visitor Center
Byway:	Ohio River Scenic Byway 
State: 	Ohio

Honoring Local History 
And American Heritage
The Fort Steuben Eastern Gateway Visitor Center beside the Ohio River enhances the Ohio River 
Scenic Byway and the downtown area of Steubenville, Ohio. The center’s main building, Fort 
Steuben Park and Veterans Memorial Fountain welcome hundreds of visitors each year with clean 
restrooms and tourist information. Residents and travelers alike explore interpretive exhibits 
and programs at the reconstructed 18th-century fort, enjoy inner-city green space, and celebrate 
the cultural heritage of the Upper Ohio Valley.    

The Old Fort Steuben Project, Inc., a nonprofit educational association, coordinated private 
fundraising efforts to raise matching funds for a National Scenic Byways Discretionary Grant. 
The organization also received a grant from the Ohio Department of Transportation to construct 
the Visitor Center building. The facility opened in 2003, and has become an impetus for further 
inner-city redevelopment. In 2006, the Berkman Amphitheater was completed, funded solely by a 
local businessman.

The Fort Steuben Eastern Gateway Visitor Center project is an outstanding example of government 
and private partnership along the Ohio River Scenic Byway and a model for sharing regional history 
and American heritage.