Few things in history call to us across time from the beginnings of our nation.  The Historic National Road is one of them.  For more than 800 miles, it is a landscape of  historic, cultural and archaeological significance, scenic beauty, bountiful recreation, and a journey through the lives and fortunes of the people that forged America. 

Beginning in Baltimore, Maryland and crossing six states, the road stretches westward past historic landmarks, mountain vistas, industrial towns, rich farmland and pastures, to reach the Mississippi River and the Eads Bridge in East St. Louis, Illinois.  Conceived by Albert Gallatin, Secretary of the Treasury under Thomas Jefferson, it is a physical translation of the ideals of Jeffersonian democracy – a nation of citizens whose values and politics were tied to the land.  It was the great highway for moving people and commerce in the nineteenth and early twentieth century.

Authorized by Congress in 1806, the construction of the National Road fulfilled adesire, espoused by such national figures as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, to build an all-weather road across the Allegheny Mountains.  The National Road was the nation’s first, federally funded interstate highway. 

Construction of the road began in Cumberland, Maryland in 1811, thus beginning the extension inland of the already existing route from the seaport of Baltimore.   Within two decades, the road crossed Pennsylvania and western Virginia and reached the states formed from the Old Northwest Territory, encouraging commerce and providing the growing population with improved access to the heart of the new nation. Ultimately, the number of people traveling the road annually would exceed 200,000, and unlike many of the privately constructed roads of the era, this one was free to travel. 

Maryland was the beginning of the flow of cultures, races, religions and ethnic traditions that formed the  “Main Street” of America.  British, German and Irish settlers founded towns on the models of their European homes that are still evident today.  Industry was able to expand as the road opened land for the mining of coal. 

The National Road then passed over the varied landscape of Pennsylvania, opening a country of hills, forests, swamps, rolling regions of stones, and land that would be opened for farming and mining.  With the road also came the need for new bridges and the Historic National Road can claim the country’s first iron bridge in Brownsville, Pennsylvania.

The road reached Wheeling, then part of the state of Virginia, in 1818.  This Ohio River town then flourished with manufacturing industries.

West of Wheeling, the route continued on the path of Zane’s Trace, the first road in Ohio.   This is a significant part of the story of the Historic National Road in that many of the earlier Indian trails and colonial routes were incorporated into the alignment of the road thus preserving their legacy. 

By the late 1830’s, construction had crossed Ohio and reached the Indiana border.  The route provided access for Ohio products to reach the growing eastern markets, thus proving its economic worth. 

The road reached Vandalia,  then the Illinois state capitol, in 1839 and later was completed to the Illinois border at East St. Louis, opening  a link to the water route of the Mississippi.

The Historic National Road in West Virginia begins in the floodplain of Little Wheeling Creek, as it passes through the rural communities of Valley Grove, Roney’s Point and Triadelphia.  Visitors will see farm fields and livestock on the hillsides above traditional farmhouses and homes.  At Roney’s Point, the Stone House was once a stagecoach stop and now houses a business. The reuse of historic structures is found all along the route. The National Road still serves as the main transportation artery for the residents of these communities.

Elm Grove, a part of the city of Wheeling, is a bustling service center and the site of several outstanding qualities of the Historic National Road.  One of the most significant is Monument Place, also known as Shepherd Hall, the stately home to Lynda Boggs Shepherd.  Lydia and her husband Moses, with the help of Henry Clay, are credited with bringing the road to Wheeling and taking its path past their home.  The mansion is owned by the Osiris Shrine.   

The Kruger Street Toy and Train Museum, located nearby in a Victorian school building, houses a vast collection of toys from days gone by and is host to the annual Marx Toy Convention.

A drive though Elm Grove on the Historic National Road will bring you past the Madonna of the Trail. A gift from the DAR, the Madonna of the Trail is a tribute to the pioneers who traveled west along the National Road.  It is one of twelve erected across the entire route of the National Road, as later embodied in US Route 40, which ends in California. The Madonna is located at Wheeling Park. This municipal park found founded as a privately owned amusement park accessible to the city dwellers of Wheeling by steam train and streetcar.

The area from Wheeling Park westward on the Historic National Road is a result of the natural expansion of the city in the late nineteenth century. Stately cemeteries and large homes from wealthy estates line this section of the Road.

When the road reaches the intersection at Rt. 88 North, it is well worth the drive to visit Oglebay Park.  This municipal park was once the 1500 acre estate of Great lakes ore shipping baron Earl Oglebay.  A resort park, it offers outstanding recreational opportunities and is also the location of Oglebay Institutes’ Mansion Museum.  The museum interprets the history of Oglebay and the Wheeling area.

When back to the route, the Road passes through an area of restaurants and hotels, then ascends Wheeling Hill.  On the hilltop, you will find the figure of a Mingo Indian, which was erected by the Wheeling Kiwanis in 1918-23.  The plaque reads ,”The Mingo, original inhabitants of this valley extends greetings and peace to all wayfarers.”

The Road now passes into Wheeling, which was founded by Ebenezer Zane in 1793.  The National Road reached Wheeling, (then western Virginia) and transformed this Ohio River town into an area of large and diverse industry.  Wheeling made an excellent choice of the Ohio River terminus as it avoided rapids and seasonally low water, thereby providing a better jumping off point for navigation down the Ohio.  Wheeling also had the advantage of local trails converging on the town from the east, and Zane’s Trace beginning across from Wheeling of the west bank  on the Ohio River.  The route brought a great population increase to Wheeling, with the number of residents going from 914 people in 1810 to more than 5000 in 1830.  Conestoga wagons  carried passengers westward to Ohio, stopping at taverns and inns along the new national highway.

The natural resources surrounding Wheeling enabled the development of the glass and steel industries.  It also became a boat-building center and home to several tobacco plants including Marsh and Bloch Brothers.  The latter produced the well-known Mail Pouch tobacco.

Wheeling is also home to the Wheeling Suspension Bridge.  Still in use today, the 1849 Wheeling Suspension Bridge crosses the Ohio River and forms the connection of the National Road with Wheeling Island.  It was the first bridge tocross the Ohio River.  At the time of its construction, the bridge was the longest single span bridge ever built, with a length of 1010 feet.

Just a few blocks from the bridge is West Virginia Independence Hall.  Constructed as a federal post office, custom house and courthouse in 1858-59, the sandstone building served the city of Wheeling until 1912.  The courtroom was the scene of several conventions in 1861-1862, when the Restored Government of Virginia was established and is considered the birthplace of West Virginia.

Wheeling’s rich heritage has been recognized by the National Park Service which established the Wheeling National Heritage Area.

There are many other sites to enjoy along the Historic National Road in West Virginia.  It  is a  significant cultural landscape.  Today stone bridges, beautiful Victorian architecture, and numerous museums provide travelers with authentic experiences.  By driving the Historic National Road, the traveler can rediscover America and explore our nation’s culture and history from a new perspective.