The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1907-11-14
CONSTRUCTION Of THE
OLD NATIONAL ROAD
Was 0Tigina! Plan to Make It Broad
After Manner Of Romans.


interesting account of the construc-
ton of the National Road" Ad-
vocated urgently by George Wash
ington, Congress begun the max,
ing of great highway from the
East to The new West.
The plan was to make the Ma
tional Road a broad one. after the
manner Of the Romans, whose en-
rebuilding methods the states
men of that time had infinitely
studied. The roadbed was sixty
six feet wide. The gradients were
so low that pair of horses might
haul very heavy load over them
without difficulty. Every creek
was well brid8ed and every brook
culverted, while the surface of the
road was made smooth with brol-
en- and pulverized stone.
This was il Maryland, Pennsyl-
vania aud Virginia. when the
National Road had crossed the
Ohio and entered the wilderness, a
far less costly system Of construc-
ton was adopted.
The road from Cumberland to
Wheeling had cost six thousand
dollars mile, without counting
the cost Of bridges. From the
Ohio River forward into the West,
about three thousand dollars a
mile-and much less as the road
adyanCed--suficed.
On the eastern division the road
was paved six inches deep in brok-
en- stone; every little brook was
bridged by a stone culvert, and
every mile of the road was drained
by two deep bitches, one on each
side Of If. West of the Ohio the
only work done was to clear away
the timber, grub up the stumps,
and dig bitches. There was no
thought of a stone coating to the
roadway, and no thought Of any
thing else except to open q track
over which wagons might be haul
ed through the mud
Here and there in creek bottom
lands the road was corduroyed.
That is to say, timbers were laid
upon its surface to keep the wagons
from sinking hopelessly into the
soil.
From Wheeling, in Virginia, it
stretched in a very nearly straight
line westward through the towns
of Columbus, Ohio, indianapolis
and Terra Haute, Indiana, TO VAN
dalia, then the capital of Illinois.
Very early in the history of the
road there were stage coach lines
set up, and taverns to accommo-
date the passengers. These tav-
ems were usually double log cabins
There was in most of them one
large room, with a great cavernous
fireplace, and with little furniture
of any kind
IN this room the male passen.
gers slept upon pallets spread upon
the floor. For the women another
room was provided, with perhaps
trife more of attention to com
fort.
Upon rising in the morning the
guests were expected to go out
into the tavern yard to perform
their ablutions. There was the
well; there were tin basins to serve
as washbowls, and there were
towels very few--which were
expected to serve the entire com.
pany. If a fastidious passenger
wanted clean towel, he had tc
get up early and do his washing
while the common towel was still
in its virgin freshness.
The food at these taverns was
abundant, but simple. Pork, pc.
tatoes, and corn bread constituted
it in the main. When a meal was
ready there was a rush for the
table, because those who got there
first had their choice of things
while the belated ones had to be
thankful for the leavings.
Men were accustomed to the
simple life in those days, and even