Existing comment:
The Historic National Road: The Road That Built The Nation:
A Road Nurtures a Vision: The Historic National Road and Clear Spring:
"The citizens at all times aim to be surpassed by no other town in the County." -- Martin Lohr, Clear Spring historian, 1890s
In 1821, Martin Myers chose a site that straddled a "clear spring" at the foot of Fairview Mountain to lay out a village he called "Myersville." Fifteen years later, the town was called "Clear Spring" and its 700 thriving inhabitants provided services for travelers on the National Road. As many as twenty-four stagecoaches passed through the town each day. Seven hotels offered food and lodging -- twelve cents a night for a bed shared by three strangers.
Twenty-five shoemakers, six tailors, four blacksmiths, three wheelwrights, three wagon makers, three saddlers, and endless store keepers kept busy as the National Road flourished.
Today, many of the early buildings remain and the faces of characters from the National Road provide a glimpse into its past.
Special Delivery:
In the early 1900s, J. Franklin Clopper hauled goods between Hagerstown and Clear Spring. In the summer, he delivered ice to housewives who were churning butter or making ice cream. In 1914, he sold his horses and wagons and bought a two-ton Brockway truck for $2,000 -- the first truck in Clear Spring. |