History of the National Road by Zina Abbott

The National Road, also known as the Cumberland Road, was the first improved highway built by the federal government in the United States.

General Braddock's tomb along the National Road (Hwy 40)

The National Road had its beginnings as the Braddock Road, which had been opened by the Ohio Company in 1751 to join Fort Cumberland, the upper limit of navigation on the Upper Potomac River, and the French military station at Fort Duquesne at the forks of the Ohio River—the latter being an important trading and military point. It is where Pittsburg, Pennsylvania stands today. The road was named after British General Edward Braddock. While accompanied by then-Colonel George Washington of the Virginia militia regiment in 1755, he died in an attempted assault of Fort Duquesne, then held by the French.

Casselman River Bridge Westrn MD completed 1814 ctsy Kkssws

In 1806, construction began on the Cumberland Road, designed to replace the wagon and footpaths of the Braddock Road between the Potomac and Ohio Rivers. From there, the Cumberland Road/National Road continued west to Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia), which was also on the Ohio River.

Henry McKinley was awarded the first contract for construction on May 8, 1811. Construction started later that year. The road reached Cumberland, Maryland, and Uniontown, Pennsylvania, in 1817. It was completed to the Ohio River at Wheeling, West Virginia, on August 1, 1818, which remained the road’s western terminus for many years.

 

Construction began again as the road was extended through central Ohio and Indiana. It reached Vandalia, Illinois, in the 1830s. Originally planned to extend to the Mississippi River, due to the Panic of 1837, funding dried up, and the road went no farther west than Vandalia.

During the 1830s, the National Road became the first road in the United States to use the new macadam surfacing. That decade also saw the responsibility for the road conveyed to the states through which it passed, which led to tollgates and tollhouses.

Madonna of the Trail, Vandalia, IL

This road became the super-highway of the nation—the road leading to the West. Stagecoaches could transport passengers, mail, and small freight at the rate of seventy to ninety miles per day. Conestoga Wagons, were comparable to the eighteen-wheeler tractor-trailers of today. Pulled by six draft horses each, they hauled heavy freight at the rate of about fifteen miles per day.

Mount Washington Tavern in Uniontown, Pennsylvania

The majority of businesses along the National Road were inns or taverns, which catered to the traveling public and those who drove the stagecoaches and freight wagons. One example of a stagecoach in that still exists today is the Mount Washington Tavern in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. Today, it is part of the Fort Necessity National Battlefield.

Although modernized, this road is still in existence today. Sections have been absorbed into other national and international highways.

1878 map Columbus, Ohio, notations by author

While writing my next release, my attention was drawn to the National Road due to it being the main road through Columbus, Ohio, the city in which I placed my bride in Jocelyn’s Wedding Dilemma. It was clearly marked on the maps of the day. One feature I found interesting—and which I worked into my story—was that an insane asylum was located on the National Road just west of Franklinton. 

National Road marker - Columbus, Ohio

Located across the Scioto River from the majority of Columbus, Ohio, Franklinton had started as a separate community before Columbus became much of a city. The post office, which also played a role in my story, was built of logs in 1807. By 1882, Columbus had grown to the point that it absorbed Franklinton as one of its suburban neighborhoods. Although the Franklinton Post Office appears to have been closed and the building bought as a residence, using literary license for the purposes of my story, I used it as still being an active post office.

Asylum for Insane Adults, Columbus, Ohio

Here is an unedited excerpt from Jocelyn’s Wedding Dilemma about Franklinton and the National Road:

          Umphf!” Abbie jerked forward as they hit a rough spot in the road and bounced. “This buggy you rent from the livery doesn’t ride as smoothly as your mother’s.”

          “I know. However, I decided it is important that I not leave my mother without transportation. As for my trips to Franklinton, they often involve business. My brother set everything up and warned me that, in order to keep peace between myself and Mama, not to say anything to anyone.” Jocelyn forced her tone to remain calm. “If you follow through with what you just told me, I suggest you do the same thing. If your parents find out, and they don’t approve, you could find yourself in serious trouble. The less we know about what the other is doing, the less we risk slipping up and raising unwanted questions.”

          “What sort of trouble, Jocelyn,” Abbie scoffed. “Do you think my parents might arrest me? Do you seriously believe they would treat me like a suffragette and have me thrown into jail until I decide to obey them?”

          “No, Abbie, there are other ways family members can force women to bend to their wills. You do know about the insane asylum on the National Road just west of Franklinton, don’t you? Do you honestly believe that all of the women admitted there are truly insane? Many people choose to consider a female who is not compliant with the demands made upon them by a husband or her parents as being insane. All they have to do is find a doctor willing to make the diagnosis.”

          “Oh. I never thought of that.” Her rounded eyes staring straight ahead, Abbie responded in a whisper.      

          “Just be careful, Abbie.” Even as she spoke, Jocelyn realized she needed to take her own advice.

 

 

Jocelyn’sWedding Dilemma is currently on pre-order and scheduled for release on March 5, 2024. To find the pre-order link and book description, please CLICK HERE

 

 

 

 

Sources:

https://www.legendsofamerica.com/ah-nationalroad/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Road