In 1795, a road called the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike was opened. It was the first fully planned, broken-stone or gravel surfaced road of such a massive scale. It connected the city of Philadelphia to the “bread basket” region surrounding Lancaster. This created a major connection between the two regions allowing them to trade agricultural goods for industrial or imported goods from the city. This new economic situation was so successful that states throughout the Union began building their own major roads. Despite the need for interstate roads, state’s rights advocators blocked any federal funding on such internal matters. Instead individual states were responsible for their roads. States used processes ranging from local governments calling on all able bodied male citizens in slack farming seasons to come and build or restore roads, to taxing citizens and hiring private companies to do roadwork. However they did it, only state or local funds were used for these roads. Due to the obvious benefits from roads, especially major ones connecting cities, there was an explosion of road building in the states.
Massachusetts wouldn’t even grant charters unless a new roadway was the primary objective. Over 10,000 miles of turnpikes alone were built in the United States in the first three decades of the 19^th century. A major exception to the rule where only states funded roads was the federally funded postal road. In the 18^th century the U.S. Postal System was created. It was a federal organization given a monopoly in its field charged with delivering mail between all of the states. In order to do this postal roads needed to be built for transportation over the large and spread out country. By the advent of the 19^th century 21,000 miles of postal roads had already been built.
However, due to the westward expansion of the nation and congressmen eager to obtain roads for their regions to stay in favor postal road expenses only increased during the first few decades of the century. This put the Postal System in a deficit for the first time. However, in 1838 Congress designated railroads as official railway routes. Because of this stagecoach service and the construction of postal roads lost dominance. The other notable exception to state funded roads was the first US federal highway: the
Cumberland Road. This highway was over 1,000 miles long and it stretched from Cumberland, Maryland to Vandalia, Illinois. Due to the obstacle of the Appalachian mountains, this road wasn’t used primarily for transporting cargo. Instead it took settlers from the eastern side of the nation to the edge of the western frontier. Construction began in 1811 and continued until the 1850s, using both federal and state funds. This became a significant artery in the developing United States. Effects of the heavy road-building trend all have to do with tying the nation together.
This occurred in political, economical, and social realms. Politicians in power could use the mail system to communicate more quickly between various branches or levels of government for better organization and flexibility. They also abused the mail system, using it for political advantages. In terms of economics the roads connected
various different regions that could share local products. Socially, the roads provided links between various families and societies. They also provided a system of delivering news, keeping the people current on issues concerning their government.
As the U.S. expanded, roads became increasingly important for transportation to the west. Many crude Indian trails were widened by the wagon wheels of settlers streaming westward, and roads were built for trade with the newly independent Mexico. One major route, the Oregon Trail, carried settlers to the Oregon Country and California. While transportation in the East and the West improved, traveling
between the two remained a problem. A trip by boat around South America was long and costly, even when cutting through Panama. (The canal had not yet been built) This led to the development of “express service” between the East and West. Wagons and stages supplied the west with travelers, food, currency, government documents, newspapers, letters, farm implements, and hunting supplies. (Spangenburg, 1992, pg. 33) During this time the Pony Express was


created, carrying mail from East to West in only 10 days. The Pony Express was even used by the China fleet of the British Royal Navy to communicate with London. (Spangenburg, 1992, pg. 33) However, only 18 months after it began, the Pony Express came to an end. The completion of the transcontinental telegraph wires made it obsolete. Just as the Pony Express became outdated by the telegraph, roads eventually became outdated by canals and railroads. Soon roads fell into disrepair. For example, as related in The Story of America’s Roads: “Kansas roads were so bad, according to one local yarn, that one day a traveler spied a hat in the middle of the road and, bending to pick it up, was surprised to find a head underneath it. ‘Willikers,’ the traveler cried out. ‘Do you need some help?’ ‘I don’t think so,’ the head responded. ‘I’m on horseback.’” (Spangenburg, 1992, pg. 42) With the development of the railroad, roads diminished in importance and were used only for local transportation. America’s roads were only to be revived later by the development of the automobile.

Major Roads in the United States

1750-1830 

1755       General Edward Braddock builds a road from the Potomac River to near Fort Duquesne.

1775       Daniel Boone opens the Wilderness Road to Kentucky.

1793       Construction begins on the Philadelphia-Lancaster Turnpike.

1795       The Philadelphia-Lancaster Turnpike is completed.

1797       Boston Turnpike Company is founded.

1800       72 turnpike corporations in operation.

1804       Lewis and Clark set out to chart the Louisiana Territory, and beyond, from the Mississippi to the mouth of the Columbia River on the Pacific Ocean.

1806       Congress approves construction of the National (or Cumberland) Road from Cumberland, Maryland to Wheeling, now in West Virginia.

1811       The National Road is begun.

1818       Construction is completed on the National Road as far as Wheeling.

1827       The National Road reaches Cambridge, Ohio.

1830       The National Road reaches Zanesville, Ohio. By 1840 it will reach Indiana.

SOURCES:

"1795 - The Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike Road.” Federal Highway Administration. Accessed February 4, 2004. <http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/rakeman/1795.htm>

• This was a relatively brief description of the history and purpose of the Lancaster Turnpike. It also included some effects. It was an integral part of my article because it provided the majority of information I used in the Lancaster Turnpike paragraph.

“Cumberland Road.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed February 4, 2004. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumberland_Road>

• “Cumberland Road” was a very short online encyclopedia article concerning the history of the road, and an analysis of its uses. This was very helpful in my Cumberland Road paragraph.

Gunderson, Gerald. “Privatization and the 19^th Century Turnpike.” The Cato Institue website. Accessed February 4, 2004. <http://www.cato.org/pubs/journal/cj9n1/cj9n1-9.pdf>

• This was an excerpt from an unknown book found on the Cato website. It is an extremely comprehensive history and analysis of the 19^th century turnpike. It provided the bulk of information I used for my state roads paragraph.

Schurr, Cathleen. "Neither Snow nor Rain..." American History Magazine. 1997. Accessed February 4, 2004. <http://americanhistory.about.com/library/prm/blpostoffice2.htm>               

• This source was concerned with the entire history of the United States Postal Service. It contained a large body of information on postal roads, which contributed to an important paragraph in my article.

Spangenburg, Ray and Diane K. Moser. The Story of America's Roads. New York: Facts On File, 1992.

• This book provides a history of roads in America from colonial times to the present.

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