The National Road's Impact on West Virginia-- Part 1

From the September 3rd West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Today, the historic National Road is a second choice of those whizzing by on I-70, but, in the early years of the 19th century it was referred to as "The Road That Built a Nation," the first federally-funded effort of the young nation. (The second federally funded road was between Detroit and Chicago now known as US-12.)

The National Road's roots go back to the 18th century with Braddock's Road and the General Forbes Road.

It was part of an overall transportation plan for the United States, including an extensive canal system and work on it was commenced in 1811 at Cumberland, Maryland. The road is also referred to as the Cumberland Road as a result. By 1818, it was completed to what eventually became West Virginia, but was a part of Virginia at the time.

It eventually was completed all the way to Illinois.

That is slow construction by today's standards, but you have to consider the primitive road-building tools they had at the time.

I have never been on the really short stretch of the National through West Virginia (kind of like Kansas on Route 66), but plan to do that some day.

More Coming. --RoadDog