The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1907-01-31

lea DN the DOaStIul BTaddOCK,
whose grave is still green beside
the deep trail cut by the ponder
Gus army wagons of his i'll starred
expedition. After the colonies
had achieved their independence
the BraddoCk road was the path
way over which the veterans Of
the Revolution plodded painfully
10 take up even a greater work in
the settlement of Ohio, Kentucky
and Indiana--Virginia's imperial
gift to the infant republic.
Discomfort, deep seated and bit
ter, followed the rapid settlement
of the transappalachian country.
Despised, ridiculed and neglected
by the tidewater patricians in con-
troll of the federal government, the
settlers of the western valleys
turned in almost justifable treason
to the support of the conspiracy of
Burr, involving the pathetic trag-
edy of B,ennerhassett. An indie
pendent republic or group of re-
publics in the great central west
seemed a certainty.
At this grave crisis in the af-
fairs of the young republic far
sighted statesmen united in a sue
cessful demand for a great road
that would pierce the mountain
barriers and bind together forever
the states Of the Atlantic seaboard
and the vas, empire of the Mis-
sissippl valley. In 1902 President
Jefferson signed the bill for the
survey of the national pike from
Cumberland to the headwaters OF
the Ohio. The first contract was
awarded in 1871, and in 1878, the
year OF its completion, a flood of
traffic of unexpected proportions
began to pour over the new high
way. The nation 5 first great prob
lem Of secession had been met and
solved. In 1926 began ~she extern
sion of the national pike from
Wheeling to St. Louis, through
the seats Of government of the
states Of Ohio, Indiana and IL
inois.
The reconstruction Of the old
national road will rcsurrect in a
measure the vanished glories Of
the famous stagecoach days when
John Bunting, Jim Reynolds,
Billy Armour, Dave Gordon, Jim
Burr and host of other forgotten
heroes of the road handled the
lines over mettlesome horses, with
the satisfying consciousness that
in popular estimation they divided
honors with men whose names arc
now imperishably embalmed in
history.
Scattered along the old road at
frequent intervals were the tav-
ems, the nerve centres of the high
way. Many of them were famous
hostelries in their day, but their
glory has long departed. Only a
few remain, quaint and moss COW
cred monuments of the past. Here
and there along the pike the old
buildings lie in ruins and in many
instances others have been con-
verted into farmhouses. 1t is ex-
pected that with the reconstruction
of the old road many of these an.
cient taverns will be rebuilt, re-
storing the most picturesque feat
ure of the life of the old turnpike.
The first taverns along the route
were built of logs and consisted OF
only two rooms and a great fire.
place, before which the tired trav-
elcrs slept in their blankets, curled
up on the puncheon floors. Their
evolution into more pretentious
structures came with the increase
of traffic, and in the palmy days
of the great road they furnished
accommodations to suit the most
exacting.
The great fireplace was a dis
tinctive feature of the old taverns.
Some of them were capable of hold
ing a wagon load Of wood at a
time, flooding the great room with
light that made can dies unneces
sary. Around the blaze gathered