He gave, in payment, in 1797 to his son-in-law, John McIntire (1747–1811), at the point where Zane's Trace met the Muskingum River. With Zane's help, McIntire platted out the town and opened an inn and ferry by 1799. In 1801, Zanesville was officially renamed from Westbourne (Zane's chosen town name).From 1810–1812, the city was the second state capital of Ohio. The National Road runs through Zanesville as U.S. Route 40. Over 5000 Union soldiers, along with hundreds of town folks were stationed in the Zanesville area to protect the city in 1863 during the raid of Morgan's Raider.
Novelist Zane Grey, a descendant of the Zane family, was born in the city.
The city has two engineering landmarks: the Muskingum River Canal, designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark; and the Zanesville Y-Bridge, the only such structure in the United States still in use. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
