thumb|400px|right|Map showing the route of the National Road at its greatest completion in 1839, with historical state boundaries.The
National Road or
Cumberland Road was one of the first major improved highways in the
United States, built by the
federal government. Construction began in 1811 at
Cumberland, Maryland, on the
Potomac River. It then crossed the
Allegheny Mountains and southwestern
Pennsylvania, reaching
Wheeling, Virginia (now
West Virginia) on the
Ohio River in 1818. Plans were made to continue through
St. Louis, Missouri, on the
Mississippi River to
Jefferson City, Missouri, but funding ran out and construction stopped at
Vandalia, Illinois in 1839.
A chain of
turnpikes connecting
Baltimore, Maryland, to the National Road at Cumberland was completed in 1824, forming what is referred to as an eastern extension of the National Road. In 1835 the road east of Wheeling was turned over to the states for operation as a turnpike. It came to be known as the
National Pike, a name also applied to the Baltimore extension.
The approximately 620-mile (1000 km) road provided a connection between the
Potomac and
Ohio Rivers and a gateway to the
West for thousands of settlers. It was the first road in the U.S. to use the new
macadam road surfacing. Today the alignment is mostly followed by
U.S. Highway 40. The full road, including extensions east to Baltimore and west to St. Louis, was designated "The
Historic National Road", an
All-American Road, by
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta in 2002.
History
thumb|left|[[Mile markers can still be found along the National Road; this one is located in
Columbus, Ohio.]]
thumb|Another mile marker west of Columbus.The
Braddock Road had been opened by the
Ohio Company in 1751 between
Cumberland, Maryland, the limit of navigation on the
Potomac River, and the forks of the
Ohio River (a site that would later become
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania). It received its name during the
French and Indian War when it was used in the
Braddock expedition, an attempt to assault the French
Fort Duquesne by
General Braddock and
George Washington.
Construction of the Cumberland Road (National Road) was authorized on
March 29,
1806 by President
Thomas Jefferson. The Cumberland Road would replace the Braddock Road for travel between the Potomac and Ohio Rivers, following roughly the same alignment until east of
Uniontown, Pennsylvania. From there, where the Braddock Road turned north to Pittsburgh, the Cumberland Road would continue west to
Wheeling, West Virginia (then part of
Virginia), also on the Ohio River.
Construction of the new
macadam road began on
November 20,
1811 at Cumberland, and the road reached Wheeling on
August 1,
1818. On
May 15,
1820 Congress authorized an extension to
St. Louis, Missouri, connecting it directly to the
Mississippi River, and on
March 3,
1825 to
Jefferson City, Missouri. Work on the extension utilized the pre-existing
Zane's Trace between Wheeling and
Zanesville, Ohio, and was completed to
Columbus, Ohio, in 1838 and
Springfield, Ohio, in 1838.
On
April 1,
1835 the section east of Wheeling was transferred to the states, which made it a
turnpike. The last Congressional
appropriation was made
May 25,
1838, and in 1840 Congress voted against completing the road, with the deciding vote cast by
Henry Clay. By that time
railroads were proving a better method of transportation; the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was being built for the same purpose — connecting Baltimore via Cumberland to Wheeling. Construction stopped in 1839, and much of the road through Indiana and Illinois remained unfinished, later transferred to the states.
In 1912 the National Road was chosen to become part of the
National Old Trails Road, which would extend further east to
New York City and west to
San Francisco, California. Five
Madonna of the Trail monuments were erected on the old National Road. In 1927 the road was designated part of
U.S. Highway 40, which still follows the National Road with only minor realignments. Most of the road has been bypassed for through travel by
Interstate 70, but between
Hancock in western
Maryland, and
Washington, Pennsylvania, I-70 takes a more northerly path to follow the
Pennsylvania Turnpike from
Breezewood to
New Stanton. The later
Interstate 68 follows the old road from Hancock west to
Keysers Ridge, Maryland, where the National Road and US 40 turn northwest into Pennsylvania. The whole of I-68 in Maryland has been designated the
National Freeway.
thumb|300 px|right|Wheeling Suspension BridgeOne of the original
toll houses is preserved in
La Vale, Maryland, and two others are located in
Addison, Pennsylvania and near
Uniontown, Pennsylvania. Many of the old
arch bridges also remain on former alignments. Notable among these is the
Casselman River Bridge near
Grantsville, Maryland; built in 1813-1814 it was the longest single span stone arch bridge in the world at the time. The
Wheeling Suspension Bridge across the Ohio River, opened in 1849, also stands along the old road.
The following structures associated with the National Road are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places:
- Several milestones in Maryland on former Maryland Route 44 and Maryland Route 165, US 40, Alternate US 40, and Scenic US 40
Route description
The western terminus of the National Road at its greatest extent was at the
Kaskaskia River in
Vandalia, Illinois, near the intersection of modern
US 51 and
US 40. The road proceeded east along modern US 40 through south central Illinois. The National Road continued into Indiana along modern US 40, passing by the cities of Terre Haute and Indianapolis. Within Indianapolis, the National Road used the original alignment of US 40 along West Washington and East Washington streets (modern US 40 is now routed along
I-465). East of Indianapolis, the road went through the city of Richmond before entering the state of Ohio. In Ohio, the road continued along modern US 40 and passes through the northern suburbs of Dayton and the city of Columbus. West of
Zanesville, Ohio, despite US 40 predominantly following the original route, many segments of the original road can still be found. Between Old Washington and Morristown, the original roadbed has been overlaid by
I-70. The road then continued east across the
Ohio River into Wheeling in West Virginia. Wheeling was the original western end of the National Road when it was first paved. After running in West Virginia, the National Road then entered Pennsylvania. The road cut across southwestern Pennsylvania, heading southeast for about before entering Maryland. East of Keyser's Ridge, the road used modern Alt US 40 to the city of Cumberland (modern US 40 is now routed along
I-68). Cumberland was the original eastern terminus of the road. In the mid-19th century, a turnpike extension to Baltimore – along what is now MD 144 from Cumberland to Hancock, US 40 from Hancock to Hagerstown, Alt US 40 from Hagerstown to Frederick, and MD 144 from Frederick to Baltimore – was approved. The approval process was a hotly debated subject due to the removal of the original macadam construction that made this road famous.
See also
