The National Road

The National Road is one of my favorite subjects, and I’ve driven it from one end (in Maryland; Baltimore if you’re not a purist, Cumberland if you are) to the other (Vandalia, Illinois). Here are my posts from the road, sorted more or less geographically from east to west:

Maryland

• The National Road in Maryland – A preview of my trip along the road.
• Ellicott City – A very old town along the road.
• New Market – The antiques capital of Maryland.
• Antietam Creek bridges – Three bridges on and near the National Road that cross Antietam Creek.
• The Wilson Bridge – This big stone bridge is named for its builder, but it crosses Conococheague Creek.
• Abandoned 1930s National Road pavement – Curiously, a short stretch of old pavement was left behind when US 40 was widened and straightened.
• The view from Polish Mountain – A stunning landscape from the road’s original alignment.
• Three bridges over the Casselman River – One stone, one steel, and one concrete.

Pennsylvania

• This post is brought to you by the letter S – An S bridge.
• Madonnas of the Trail – Finding a Madonna in Pennsylvania made me dig up photos of other Madonnas I’ve seen.
• Addison Toll House – After the US government got out of the National Road business, it became a toll road. Here’s one of the toll houses.

West Virginia

• The Wheeling Suspension Bridge – I always swore I’d drive the bridge, and I finally did.

Ohio

• And so ended our vacation – I wrecked my car after entering Ohio on the road. Whee.
• Clinching the National Road – Two years later, I returned to Ohio to try again. I succeeded.
• Saying goodbye to the old bridge at Bridgeport – When I wrote this, the bridge still stood. Not so much anymore.
• Bricks and bridges at Blaine – An 1828 bridge, with its brick deck, preserved alongside a more modern bridge.
• Then there was the time I-70 jumped out in front of my car – Seriously. I about pooped my pants.
• The disrupted National Road – I-70 clings to the National Road so closely over these 18 miles that sometimes they’re the same road.
• They say the old S bridge is crumbling, but it held up my car just fine – An 1828 S bridge that you can still drive on.
• Old buildings in Old Washington – A National Road town so well preserved it’s like stepping back in time.
• Crooked little bridges, well preserved – Two bypassed S bridges that have been restored.
• When someone tells me to hit the bricks, I take it literally – Several still-driveable sections of brick National Road laid in about 1917 remain in eastern Ohio.
• A quick tour of Zanesville – A well-preserved downtown, the famous Y bridge, and an unexpected sight.
• Concrete evidence – In 1914, 24 miles of experimental concrete were laid down on the National Road. Little bits of it remain.
• Improving the rutted road – Historic National Road photos from across Ohio.
• Stepping back in time for an overnight stay – 1950s-era motels still in operation in Columbus.
• Landmarks and historic architecture in Columbus – Seeing the sights along the National Road as it passes through town.
• The Main Street Bridge – There’s a new bridge over Main Street in Columbus. It’s a beauty.
• Serving the National Road traveler – Historic inns from the time when covered wagons were the road’s usual traffic.
• Seeing the sights in Springfield – I lingered in Springfield for a while because there was so much to see.
• Whatever happened to Tadmor?  – It used to be a town on the National Road, at least until just after the flood of 1913.
• I stopped at McDonald’s on my last road trip – But not the McDonald’s you’re thinking about.

Indiana

• The end of the Dayton Cutoff – Dayton, Ohio was bypassed by the National Road. Ticked locals built a successful competing road. It merged with the National Road just inside Indiana.
• Richmond – One of the few Indiana towns along the road that was founded before the road came through.
• Indiana National Road milestones – Only two milestones remain on Indiana’s National Road.
• Philosophical questions along the National Road – How many times must a road’s path change before it’s no longer the same road?
• Straightened, widened, and moved – Realignments of the road as it leaves Indianapolis headed west.
• Nature always wins – A bridge and some concrete pavement abandoned since at least the early 1940s.
• Iron’s Cemetery – An almost-forgotten cemetery, along the highway but hidden from view.
• Stilesville – Many tiny towns dot the National Road in western Indiana. This one, with a small “downtown,” is a giant among them.
• Grand old homes along Indiana’s National Road – If you keep your eyes open as you drive, you can take in some classic architecture along the road.
• A forgotten brick segment of US 40 – Bricks laid about 1923 are on private property today.
• Behind the Walker Motel – A 1923 concrete alignment of the road, plus a bridge, lay quietly behind an old motel.
• The Cooper Iron Bridge – A bridge that used to span Deer Creek on the National Road was moved around the corner when a newer bridge was built.
• Found: Hidden old National Road alignment – The alignment that led to the original site of the Cooper Iron Bridge is hidden in the woods.
• A kink in the Road – A gravel alignment and an abandoned bridge in Putnam County.
• The old road at Reelsville, part 1 – The original alignment of the road near this small town, plus a 1929 Luten bridge.
• The old road at Reelsville, part 2 – The 1923 realignment of the road near Reelsville.
• Return I will to old Brazil – A visit to Brazil, a small city built along the National Road. Several 1800s buildings still stand along the road.
• Roadside relics – Vigo County and Terre Haute are rich in 20th-century roadside sights.
• Where the National Road fades away – Modern US 40 and I-70 merge over the National Road’s original path near the Illinois border.
• The National Road in western Indiana – Provides a link to my full writeup of my August, 2009 trip.

Illinois

• The National Road in Illinois – Twenty miles of abandoned brick highway.
• Road trip season is almost here – More photos of the abandoned brick highway.
• Bursting the nostalgia bubble – Confronting a false fantasy while exploring the road.
• The National Road revisited – Scenes from a second trip to Illinois.

General

• Scenes from the National Road in 1920 – I bought some little cards showing scenes from the road in 1920.