Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-03-12

rn. raousst OF the Street and Sewer
,,arar,rner, for almost half million
dollars 10 better the highways of the
ri,v and 10 establish three more lines
,uo north and south and the other east
.,a vesf-of modern throughfares.
suner excellent streets. through VIII
u,tnston ie an indication of how rapidly
our city ir growing and how constant
is the increase of travel, We have at
thus time ~ miles OF paved streets ana
may spend on other highway improve
ments this year more than was laid out
by the entire state for road building In
rur rrst half century.
10 has taken many years of contin-
uous and persistent effort. with increas-
ing taxation 10 attain this desirable
end in Wilmington. and probably the
effort will be Just as taxing II the
'uture for the reason that as IN" city
sxpands there will be new streets ana
-enewal Of the older ones 80 there Will
probably never be a let up IN the de-
nands of the tax collector
II ia interesting in this connection TO
-.cau that. FOR a considerable time after
he ar,t settlers came to this city. and
the trails OF Indians. well worn paths
leading from one point 10 another. Tor
example. there was a trail 10 the Della
xx.re which WAS used when they Went
20 IN. stream 10 fish or hunt wild fowl.
ar from their wigwams 10 the nearest
sprins with longer paths 10 New taStl"
or through the nearby country uSed
chiefly when on marches, hunting ~
payirs visits 10 friendly trihesm"n.
Tn. old Indian trails were almost direct.
the shortest adaptable route between
two points. with detours for swaml'@
and shallow places picked In streams
Tor fording Indians were indeed the
rest ~ engineers in road finding aNd
their trails invariably revealed Their
unfailinG ability or instinct 70 PICK th'
Asst routes.
Probably the earliest efforts 70 I'm
provo os modernize these trails was
made IN 1871. when the hrst cruoe
highway was constructed here. II DC
ran ., Fort Christiana and extended 70
the falls % the Brandywine. and con-
,,nuso along the Shellpot 20 Tinicum.
which made e fairly good roadway be
tween the fort 81 the Swedes and their
..,, Of govsrnment az the latter place.
rhare was about the same time path
ron.,ruc,ed 10 connect Fort Christiana
.ra For, Trinity. which was called odd
Mans Path"
A early as 1871 there was built the
arst road across the peninsula. Mary
land and Delaware uniting in the work.
II 10 possible that this highway extended
from about what later was Frenchtown
snA New Castle.
II = Interesting TO know that IN the
sarheY tsvs. instead Of ievNing TAX
on snes holdings for road building one
r,srnper from zach family was con
srr.pted into service. or families de-
saul,irs in this duty were compeIied
u nav q Hne Of fifteen suilders Pre-
viouriy, path. W roads We're blaxed
through the woods ev sa ashing trees hut
these markers were far from easily
trsr.lated especially on the main tray
el.d trails where so many trees were
s..rlv blaved that the marks were con
fu.,nS rather than helpful. anf parties
annharking on tours afcot or or horse
,sek were quite likely 70 necome lost
!, least until they had been initiated IN
,he s.,rets OF wood lore by the Indians.
rhare uas a dvke over the Christiana
,.r.p that was used by the Swedes.
,ra q ferry was early established. as
,,.a Ali well know. across the Christana
-.,ou The present site Of Third street
,r,sxs u was not long prior TO 1880
hat there was any organized system of
Dad making here about. II is recoroed
n 1852 that owners OF water mills
fscinx or the highways were required
ia screen the wheels Of their mills from
os.sing horses who presums bly, We're
.err.red a. the unusual sight, and pos
.ihlv -ar away The horse seems 10
nave beer ever an object OF Soilcltude
u.hsn ANY new method or device was
Introduced for an effort vas MADE tc
aide N. bicycle from him and later the
automobile. and later st.n i was-per-
haps lokingly- advocated that the
uesrers Of a certain type OF overcoat oI
hig. bold. loud plaids be camoufias"d
when a horse approached.
!, was previous TO 1892. however. that
road building began IN earnest and from
which time until the outbreak Of the
Revolution the highways constructed
by the publicly the counties were
known as kings roads one ira
yersec this city from the ChristiaEa
which as early as 1871 was found 70
,r,.r.ere with the streets of the borough
and war changed 70 conform herewith
Probably IL is because Of this change
that one finds on old maps of Whining
ton sections Of King roads other
traces Of which are lost except for these
small bits here and there, for example
a small section along Poplar stree
about Tenth, and another brief trace OF
8 Kings road that ran along the Bran
dxutne. over or Immediately back OF the
present Bishopstead.
wilmingtonian who is much inter
.sted IN matters historical recalls the
route OF the old Kings road from .
memorandum made more than - years
aro He had often traversed the old
highway. II is interesting from the
fact that the line Of the road has been
con,iderably obscured. or disputed. His
recollections are confirmed by older men
Of nftv years ago. who knew every lnch
of the route. Here IL is
'~rhe OLD Kings Road crossed the
Brandywine just below Second Dam
- ran along what is now Adams street
tntil 1, reached q point near the present
Delaware avenue. thence bearing slight
4. 20 the left, il passed over the spot
,ov the southwest corner OF the Will
,ntnstor and Brandywine cemetery 70
M. uresen, line Of Adams street, south
81 Delaware avenue. II diverged from
ths present line OF Adams street. at a
point between Tenth and Eleventh
strssts and ran in a southwesterly di-
rvrtson 70 q point near the corner OF
Fifth and Brooue streets, thence II