The Madonna Of the Trail Monuments were erected by state chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution to honor the early settlers who used the old National Road to travel west. There are twelve such monuments, one in each state through which the National Road travelled. Springfield's Madonna of the Trail Monument was the first to be dedicated — on July 4, 1928. It was re-dedicated by the DAR on July 4, 2003, the 75th anniversary of its original dedication.

Springfield's Madonna of the Trail Monument was originally located on the grounds of the Ohio Masonic Home. In 1956, the State of Ohio expanded Routes 40 & 4 to four lanes and the monument, which was in the path of the projected highway, was moved to its present location. The monument is largely ignored by local residents and draws few visitors because of its relative inaccesability. To take these photos, I parked in the Snyder Park Shelter House lot and walked about 750 feet to the monument.