Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1900-11-16
OLD CUMBERLAND ROAD.

Such roads were to be laid ont under
the authority of congress ana with the
consent of the states through which
they would pass.
In 1906 the sale of public lands In
Ohio had amounted to over $juO,O0O,
and after some discussion in both
houses of congress "A bill approptiating
$4,000 was passed The construction
of the 50 called Cumberland road was
then begun. From Cumberland, Md,
it was to extend through southwestern
PENNSYLVANIA and over the Allegheny
mountains To the Ohio river at Wheel
ing and then on to st. Louis. 1t was
constructed after the principles ad-
vocated by Telford and Macadam and
was so well built that it is yet good
road, although it has since passed into
| the hands of the states in which it is
| located and has not been SystCmat tically
/ repaired for years. This road was well
| described by writer in 1879 as fDl-
! lows:
1T was exccllently macadamized,
| the rivers and creeks were spanned by
| stone bridges, the distances were in
/ deXed by iron mileposts and the toll
houses supplied with strong iron gates.
! Its protector and chief supporter was
! Henry Clay. whose services in its be-
half are commpmoratcd hy monu-
ment near Wheeling, There were
sometimes 20 eayly painted four horse
coaches each way daily. The cattle
and sheep were never out Of SIGHT The
canvas covered wagons were drawn by
6 to l. horses. Within mile Of the
road the country was wilderness, but
on the highway the traffic was as dense
as in the main street of large town.
| Ten miles an hour is said to have been
| the usual speed for coaches. but be-
tween IIagerstown and Frederick they
were claimed to have made 2G miles in
two hours. These coaches finally ceas-
ed running in 1858. There were also
through freight wagons from Ralti-
more to Wheeling which carried ten
tons. They were drawn by II horses,
and their rear wheels were ten feet
high"
While the Cumberland road was be
ing built l. other great national high
ways were laid out in the states and
territories, making what was then re-
garded complete system of roads. ana
more or less work was done in opening
and constructing them. Congress pro
vided in 1906 for a road from the from
tier of Georgia. leading toward New
| Orleans, and one from Nashville 10
| Natchez Miss. From 1906 to 1888 a
| total of 81 100000 was appropriated ny
congress for roads in various places
and of this sum 100000 was used In
Florida, S2S6,000 was expended for a
road from Chicago to Detroit and other
| points. and $206,000 was used toward
the construction of road from Mem
| phis to the St. Francis river in Arkan-
sas. In addition to the appropriations
above mentioned grants of land have
been made from time to time by the
| states to aid in the work. and the labor
of United States troops has been occn-
sionally employed.
In 1920 the regular appropriation Tor
Illp lllIiDtIidIlu IOlu W tAo NNN'N" ~
! President Monroe, and in 1880 the
Maysville and Lexington turnpike bill
authorizing a government subscription
TO the stock of a turnpike company in
Kentucky was passed by congress, but
was vetoed by President Jackson
The monetary crisis Of 1887 put a
dampcr on all projects requiring large
government expenditures. and from
that time to 1854 only a few small .ap-
propriations were made. Another pc
riod of activity then began and lasted
until the civil war, during which time
over S1.GO0.OOO was laid out chiefly
ON roads in the territories. From that
time to this only few military roads
have been made and of late years
nothing has been done in the way Of
national aid save tie building of roads
in thp District of Columbia. in national
cemeteries and on reservations.