Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1922-06-22
TVS OLD SOUTHWESTERN PIKE

.sr-lIE ''N'' DIS-
s.nsral western course to pars Sa
-. Ohio. is a historic highway
on = deserves more mention than it
ever received as factor related
- .,s American westward movement
.bs problem Of communication be-
. ap. the East and West. 1t was the
rs, result of the call of the
- the need of Virginia State
Road. s.;o, wos re-
.!s4 ~ Washington, who, in l7aS,
~. been the champion of the Brad
n -, .,,i not then supposed to lie in
n....,ly,nial. and who, in 1884,
.., route located wholly in Wiz
.~', Returning from visit to his
T...sro lands. after following Nc
ColIo,hs patti Cthen the most impor-
-or,e across the rugged ridges be-
-, the valleysl, he crossed the
yortb Branch on the future route OF
-. Greater Virginia highway-which
r,s srst partially realized in the Estate
uo,B~ authorized from Winchester via
ponney to Morgantown before 1875,
-. eytended westward in 1885 by a
1r,nch road from near Cheat to Clarks-
burg from which the first road was
80 - the mouth Of the Little Ka-
,,vba between 1888 and 1890.
The latter turnpike was planned and
constructed by Virginia partly as
rsxl, of the rival activities of New
York Pennsylvania and Maryland, to
ss,pre the advantages in transporta-
non facilities for the trade OF the
West. and was especially regarded as
--yal nj the national road which was
openei from Cumberland to Wheel
NO in 1918. and with which parts Of
4 Virginia obtained better connections in
4 1870 ny a stage line established from
\ Winchester to Cumberland. 1t was
4 built across the Appalachian divide with
4 The hope of securing commercial su-
peroriv. and was the main thorough
fare between the East and West
through Northern Virginia.
The act Of incorporation of 1927,
authorizing subscriptions to Winches-
ter. Romney. Moorefeld, Beverly,
Kingwood Pruntytown, Clarksburg and
Petersburg made the mistake OF ar
titrarily locating the route through
important towns without proper con-
siteration of the physical feature of
the country After finding a way
through Hampshire via Mill Creek
mountain. and pushing on into Preston,
the engineers encountered insurrount-
able Obstacles in the Kingwood route,
causing the stock to languish.
The enterprise was saved by the re-
markable act of 1881 which ogari7cd
roai company, with the governor as
president and one of the board OF a.
reclorS with power to borrow money
lSl25OOOl on the credit OF the State
10 construct a turnpike road of a mil
mum width of twelve feet, "from Win
chester to some point on the Ohio
river to be situated by the principal
engineers" and with the right to
erect bridges or to regulate ferries al
ready in existence. and to establish
toll gates on each twenty mile section
compIe,ei
Inc chief engineer was Col. Clau-
gus Crolet, a French officer of ar
t'sTy under Napoleon Bonaparte in
tne Russian campaign, and later pro-
'e>Sor OF engineering in the United
S'a'eS military academy from 1916 to
~" tie was assisted by Charles B.
Shaw.
'he route chosen was through
famFsh're, Mineral, Grant, Garrett,
'es'on' Taylor, Harrison, Doddridge,
N't''e and Wood, part of it in Mary
ana In Hampshire county it was es-
sO'S"ca via Capon Bridge, Hanging
- fIeaSant Dale and Augusta TO
o"'ey' west of which it crossed the
'u'" branch. Through Mineral il
assoc via Burlington, thence westward
,'oSs Patterson's Creek, and through
4 p1ffff
ss'IAe on the divide to New Creek,
~" II crossed at Rees' tannery. Then
Jung toward the southwest, II cross
u'e North Branch of the Potomac
1"SeSt of the present town of
a"''0a' and entered the southwest
. . of Maryland through which il
;I LOT eight and three-fourths
~, crossing the Alleghenies and
.s"s INTO Preston east of the
,,. "a" settlement Oater known as
N''id|. II Meal