Existing comment:
The Greate Road – An Early Highway pre-1607-1700s
A few days after he arrived at Jamestown in May 1607, George Percy wrote that he and his party "espied a pathway" and were "desirous to knowe whither it would bring us." Most likely they discovered a trail used by Paspahegh Indians in whose territory Jamestown was located. To the English, the trail became known as the Grate Road, a route that led from James Fort, across the isthmus to the west past Glasshouse Point on the mainland, and eventually to Green Spring and Middle Plantation (Williamsburg).
As New Towne developed, the Greate Road began at the junction of Backstreet and the highway by the river. Over time the trail widened to more than 30 feet as wagons drawn by horses and oxen packed down the top soil and created deep ruts.
Archaeologists found sections of the Greate Road, including a portion north of the church. Stretches are still visible today at Glasshouse Point and along the route to Green Spring. |