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American Road Magazine
Celebrating our two-lane highways of yesteryear…And the joys of driving them today!

When The Truth And "history" Meet


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I was recently researching the earliest use of the National Road moniker to describe the road from Baltimore to Vandalia, IL. It appears the name first came in to limited use about 1820 following the completion of the Baltimore to Cumberland Turnpikes to the federal Cumberland Road.

 

If common history is to be believed, this was a joyous occasion for the the Port of Baltimore. In fact, Baltimore and Philadelphia were embroiled in a war over who would control the trade coming from the Susquehanna River area of PA. Neither appeared to care a fig about trade with a newly opening West.

 

Read more in the free Archive.org book: The Philadelphia-Baltimore Trade Rivalry, 1780-1860, John Weston Livingood, 1947. The book can be downloaded in PDF and uploaded to devices like KIndle.

 

Steve

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I was recently researching the earliest use of the National Road moniker to describe the road from Baltimore to Vandalia, IL. It appears the name first came in to limited use about 1820 following the completion of the Baltimore to Cumberland Turnpikes to the federal Cumberland Road.

 

If common history is to be believed, this was a joyous occasion for the the Port of Baltimore. In fact, Baltimore and Philadelphia were embroiled in a war over who would control the trade coming from the Susquehanna River area of PA. Neither appeared to care a fig about trade with a newly opening West.

 

Read more in the free Archive.org book: The Philadelphia-Baltimore Trade Rivalry, 1780-1860, John Weston Livingood, 1947. The book can be downloaded in PDF and uploaded to devices like KIndle.

 

Steve

 

Steve,

 

As much as I enjoy history, I fully agree. I have been around long enough to be a part of some histories, and they don't look like I experienced them.

 

I took a look at the book you suggested. I didn't note a whole bunch of "The Road has arrived." Lots of canals and railroads though.

 

I have used Archives.org and Google Books and News archives often. It used to be that it would take weeks and cumbersome interlibrary loans to even tickle a research topic. Now I can find good stuff in minutes.

 

When I read your stuff, I always wish I could add to the discussion, but you have already tapped the sources I know (and a lot more). I have managed to acquire a couple of nice publications recently that I suspect are the first of their kind, and perhaps the only remaining copies, but they are west coast. When you find evidence of the National Road west of the Rockies, I'm a potential source! B):)

 

Keep up the good work! And don't be a stranger as you recover.

 

Dave

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

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