The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1902-08-28

SAeAlee through which the road
wound were as precipitous as the
passes in the Sierra Nevada. and the
noun aims as rugged and as wild
Within sight of the road the country
was wilderness. Herds of deer were
not uncommon and the traveller by
night was often startled by the scream
OF wildcat or panther, the snarl of
the wolf in the wake of the coach. or
the growl of the bear in the neighbor-
ing thicket, while on the highway
the traffic was as dense and contin-
uous as in the main streets of a large
town.
The stage coaches were large. lum-
boring affairs, very strong and dura-
bic, sometimes neatly upholstered,
and capable of accommodating nine
inside passengers and two outside.
with the driver and guard. The
driver was quite an important person
age. From his drivers perch he gave
his commands with as much author
lty as captain on his ship. When
the great, numbering coach lurched
from side TO side from the deep ruts
with which the road abounded he'd
call out: Now, gentlemen, to the
right upon which the passengers
all stretched their bodies half way
out of the stage coach to balance that
side. Now, gentlemen, to the left"
etc. The guard was provided with
large tin horn, with which he made
the welkin when arriving at or de-
parting from ID station. These sta
lions, which were ten or twelve miles
apart were tayerns with their gilded
and glittering signs swung from a
pole or staff and intimating to the
traveller that there was Entertain
ment for man and beast"
Among the prominent persons who
passed over the old National turn
pike, through Cumberland to Wash
ington, were Cass, Clay, Corwin,
Douglas, Bell and four Presidents
Jackson, Harrison, Polk and TAYLOR.
But its glory has departed; today
along the famous road the silence and
utter loneliness is absolutely painful.
From Frostburg to Grantsville, some
fourteen miles, the road is in a sorry
condition. Boulders of stone, with
immense ruts and assures, tax the
patience of the traveller, as well as
the springs of the vehicle. But the
scenery is glorious; from the summit
of one hill to the next you see a long
stretch of road, dipping into the val
ley and climbing up the opposite
slope. The valley is more or less cul-
tivated, but up to the apex of the hill,
the road in one place cutting right
through the virgin forest, forming an
aboreal tunnel, through which you
see the sky line at the extreme end.
Through ragged openings in the trees
you can see the country extending
out, receding tier on tier to the hori-
zon, i'll vast undulations, like unto
the mighty turbulent upheavels of a
boundless primeval sea, and all coy
cred with neYer-ending woods, with
here and there a lonely farmhouse,
with its few acres of clearing, remind
ing you of an oasis in this forest-cov-
cred mountain land.
Occasionally one sees the ruins of
the tayerns, which, when the road
was in its glory, were but mile apart.
Between Grantsville and Petersburg,
twelve miles, many of the Oldest in
habitants remember dozen or more
taverns. One of the most famous of
the hostelries (Shaw's), 1.-The Old
Stone House." with its wide balloon
les and verandas, is still in excellent
repair.
But the railroad has changed all
this, and the hustle and the laughter,
and the sound of the ''echoing horn'
are heard no more. The stage coaches
ceased running on the Old National
Road in 1870, and the toll-gates were
abolished in 1878.