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National Road Mile Marker:
This cast iron mile marker is one of the original markers placed on the National Road in the early 1830s. It was located just west of the Mount Washington Tavern near Fort Necessity.
The National Road was the first road to be built and paid for by the federal government. The road was so successful that even before its completion to St. Louis, it was so heavily traveled that the federal government could no longer afford the upkeep. At that time, the operation of the National Road was turned over to each state through which it passed. To afford the maintenance and upkeep, the states set up a toll system to collect revenue to pay for the upkeep of the road. At that same time, the cast iron mile markers were set out replacing much smaller tombstone shaped stone markers. The cast iron markers for the Pennsylvania stretch of the road were manufactured in Connellsville and Brownsville, Pennsylvania. You can still see a number of the original mile markers out along the National Road (Route 40). In some places where the original mile markers are missing, they have been replaced by reproduction markers. |