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The Historic National Road The Road That Built The Nation:
Town of Boonsboro: Maryland uses Macadam to Complete the National Road:
The National Road from Baltimore to Cumberland was comprised of a series of privately funded turnpikes. By 1822, the road was complete except for the 10 miles between Boonsboro and Hagerstown. In August of that year, under pressure from the state legislature, Baltimore and Hagerstown bank directors formed the Boonsboro Turnpike Co. to complete the final section. The National Road, from Baltimore to Cumberland, was often called the "Bank Road," because the state government enlisted local banks to finance the building of this vital economic link with the West. Federal funding was used to build the road from Cumberland to Wheeling, and eventually to the Mississippi River.
The Turnpike Company used a revolutionary new paving system, invented by Scotsman John Loudon MacAdam. Its use here in 1823 was the first time that true macadam was used in the United States. After a century of macadam, concrete again revolutionized road surfaces in early 1900s.
First American Macadam Road:
National Road workmen, often wearing goggles to protect their eyes, pounded stones into pieces with small hammers. Inspectors passed each stone through a 3 inch ring to assure proper size. Other workers raked the stones level in three layers on a prepared roadbed. The surface was milled smooth with a cast-iron roller. The top layer, cemented with rainwater, became as hard as concrete. |