Knowra National Road National Road The first federally funded highway in the United States, built westward from Maryland beginning in 1811. It connected the Atlantic seaboard to the Ohio Valley and later Illinois.
Cumberland Road : The historic route built westward from Cumberland, Maryland, as the first federally funded highway in the United States. This name became synonymous with the National Road during its early construction.
Internal improvements : Publicly supported transportation and communication projects intended to connect regions and promote commerce. The National Road was an early, prominent example of this national development program.
Wheeling, West Virginia : A city on the Ohio River that became the western terminus of the National Road in 1818. The road's arrival linked its overland route to Ohio River traffic.
Casselman Bridge : A stone arch bridge built in 1813 over the Casselman River in western Maryland. It is one of the National Road's best-known surviving engineering landmarks.
Cumberland, Maryland : A city in western Maryland that became the eastern starting point of the National Road's westward route. Congress selected Cumberland as the road's initial western terminus in 1806.
National Road Act of 1806 : The federal law authorizing construction of a road from Cumberland, Maryland, toward the Ohio River. It established the legal basis and funding arrangement for the project.
Zanesville, Ohio : An Ohio city through which the National Road passed on its westward route. Its growth illustrates how the road connected and served inland settlements.
Searight Tollhouse : A historic tollhouse on the National Road near Uniontown, Pennsylvania. It preserves evidence of the road's toll-supported maintenance system.
Thomas Jefferson : The third president of the United States, serving from 1801 to 1809. Jefferson signed the 1806 law authorizing the federally funded road.
Land Ordinance of 1785 : A law establishing a rectangular survey and sale system for lands in the western territories. Revenue from federal land sales helped finance the road's construction.
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