National Road
Posted by: renruts
N 40° 08.999 W 080° 19.682
17T E 557233 N 4444620
Quick easy pull-off on 40 where 2 historical markers sit.
Waymark Code: WM27BG
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 09/16/2007
Views: 46
The National Road or Cumberland Road was one of the first major improved highways in the United States, built by the Federal Government. Construction began in 1811 at Cumberland, Maryland, on the Potomac River, and the road reached Wheeling, West Virginia, on the Ohio River in 1818. Plans were made to continue through St. Louis, Missouri, on the Mississippi River to Jefferson City, Missouri, but funding ran out and construction stopped at Vandalia, Illinois in 1839. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Road)
Marker Text:
Our first national road; fathered by Albert Gallatin. Begun in 1811 at Cumberland, Md.; completed to Wheeling in 1818. Toll road under State control, 1835-1905. Rebuilt, it is present U.S. Route 40.
Marker Name: National Road
County: Washington
Date Dedicated: 04/01/1949
Marker Type: Roadside
Location: U.S. 40, 3.6 miles SW of Washington
Category: Transportation, Roads
Website: [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:
In your log, please say if you learned something new, and if you took any extra time to explore the area once you stopped at the historic marker waymark.
Please post a photo of you OR your GPS at the marker location.