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The National Road
This "National Road" connected east and west in the 1800's. George Washington proposed a route to join the western frontier to the eastern seaboard in the late 1700's. His idea was later promoted by Albert Gallatin, Secretary of the Treasury under Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison -- and Congress authorized the road in 1806.
Work started in 1811. While a privately funded road connected Baltimore to Cumberland, Maryland, this first federally funded highway tied Cumberland to Wheeling, Virginia in 1818. By 1839, the road stretched more than 600 miles to Vandalia, Illinois. Although railroads eventually displaced it, the National Road's success set the stage for today's national highway system.
In 1835, cast-iron mileposts were placed every mile along the road between Cumberland and Wheeling. A few original markers still exist along U.S. Route 40, which follows the same route as the old National Road. |