Norwich bulletin., 1913-12-15
SUGGESTION TO MARK OLD ROADS
Made In Paper Before Norwich Daughters of The Revolution Road From Norwich Town Green to New London Court House Was First Turnpike In The United States.

side of the river the road ran between the river and the electric light works, crossed the present North Main street at nearly right angles, went on up i about hoath street into Rockwell s woods (now Mohegan park) through the woods and emerged a short dis tance above the Sheltering Arms. This old fording place in the Shetucket is well remembered by one who as 8 boy lived near it and went across at all seasons Neither distance difficulties nor rivers of water deterred our for bears when determined to do their duty
 Before 1700 several towns were set- tied around Norwich, the settlers for the greater part going from Norwich. They were Preston, about 1887; Leba- non and Windham at about the same time, 1692 Plainfield. 1899; Canter- bury. 1703, and Volunteers land, 1706, and the roads were extended to these places The Nipmuck path and the Greenwich path ran through part of these and the old Connecticut path ran through Pomfret and Ashford to Hart ford.
 New London county, erected in 1866, included in early times the town of New London, Norwich, Stonington, Groton Preston, Voluntown. PlainfieId, Canterbury, Windham, Colchester, Lyme, and on the west, Killingsworth, as the towns were originally laid out, as perforce there must be roads to New London.
 Surveyor Hempstead's Notes.
 In the extension of some New Lon don roads we have the notes of the surveyor, Joshua Hempstead-"w all day with the townsmen laying out a highway from Colchester bounds to New London' In October, 1735 he went to Groton to see about the lay out of road by the ferry. In March, 4 London to Trading Cove at end of Norwich Plain; in July. 1747. he went to lay out a highway through Preston; sometimes the business was attended with some ceremony, for he writes under date of June 30. 1752: 'I was all day with the sheriffs and jury ap- pointed to lay out an open highway from Stonington harbor to Preston, and were dined at Captain Nathan Chesebrough's. gratis, a great com pany of three or four score, perhaps.
 Fascinating as it is to see the begin ming of the roads and to follow them as they lengthen. reaching out to new places, yet we must leave them, only stopping to speak again of two of Spe- cial importance The old Post road, while not a path into an unknown, uncharted wilderness, was yet the main highway in southern New Eng land from an early date The road from Norwich to New London started from Norwich Town Green and run ming through East Great Plain to Trading Cove. thence through the Mo- began fields, was laid out by 1870, and was the earliest road from New Lon don to the north and the only road from this section to New London for many years.
 First Turnpike in the United States.
 Tn 1789 an association was formed to improve the road, and the distance was shortened to IA miles from the court house on the green to the courthouse at New London, and this became the first turnpike in the United States. Could not the Daughters at least mark this road with the red white and blue sign? In 1906 the Landing had be- come a place of importance, an addi- ton was made to the old road; near the road at Trading Cove a branch was made up to through the present to the wharf bridge.
 While the societies of the D. A. R. of the more western states are pre- pairing to memorialize the pioneers who
 blazed the western trails cannot the Daughters of this region at least mark with the sign of the red, white and blue the paths along which their own forefathers helped build up the nation which made these later trails possible?