View source for National Road

{{Short description|Early American highway}}
{{About|the early highway in the United States||National road (disambiguation){{!}}National road}}
{{More citations needed|date=June 2012}}
{{Use American English|date = January 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox road
|country=USA
|type=NSB
|name= National Road
|marker_image=[[File:National Road Sign cropped.JPG|70px]][[File:MUTCD M10-1.svg|70px]]
|map=National road map.png
|length_mi=
|length_ref=
|established=1811
|direction_a=East
|terminus_a=[[Cumberland, Maryland]]
|junction=
|direction_b=West
|terminus_b=[[Vandalia, Illinois]]
|states=[[Maryland]], [[Virginia]]<!-- The National Road existed before the American Civil War. Do not change without discussion. -->, [[Ohio]], [[Indiana]], [[Illinois]]
}}

'''The National Road'''—formally the '''Cumberland Road''' and later celebrated as "Main Street of America"—was the United States' first great federally financed highway and a proving ground for national‑scale internal improvements.<ref name="Raitz1996">{{cite book |last=Raitz |first=Karl B. |title=The National Road |location=Baltimore |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |year=1996 |isbn=9780801852275 |page = 1 }}</ref>

Originating at the head of navigation on the [[Potomac River]] in [[Cumberland, Maryland]], the {{Convert|4|rod|ft m|adj=on}} wide engineered turnpike was authorized on March&nbsp;29,&nbsp;1806 when President [[Thomas Jefferson]] signed "An Act to regulate the laying out and making a road from Cumberland … to the State of Ohio".<ref name="Weingroff2021">{{cite book |type = Report |last=Weingroff |first=Richard F. |title=The Nation's First Mega-Project: A Legislative History of the Cumberland Road |publisher=Federal Highway Administration |date=2021 |url=https://highways.dot.gov/sites/fhwa.dot.gov/files/2021-11/Cumberland_Road_Legislative_History.pdf |access-date=27 June 2025 |pages=2–3}}{{dead link|date=July 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Surveyors ran a {{Convert|131|mi|adj=on}} alignment over the [[Allegheny Mountains]] to [[Wheeling, West Virginia|Wheeling, Virginia]], on the [[Ohio River]] by 1818, building a stone‑surfaced, cambered roadway, masonry bridges, culverts, and cast‑iron mileposts that set standards for antebellum turnpikes.<ref>{{harvp|Raitz|1996|pp=46, 123}}.</ref>

Between 1825 and 1838, Congress approved successive appropriations that pushed the highway westward across [[Ohio]], [[Indiana]], and into [[Illinois]]. Construction gangs reached [[Zanesville, Ohio|Zanesville]] in 1833, [[Columbus, Ohio|Columbus]] in 1834, the eastern outskirts of [[Indianapolis]] in 1836, [[Terre Haute, Indiana|Terre Haute]] in 1838, and the then‑capital of [[Vandalia, Illinois]]—591&nbsp;mi (951&nbsp;km) from Cumberland—by 1839, when federal contracts ceased.<ref>{{harvp|Raitz|1996|pp=90–101}}.</ref><ref name="Hulbert1901">{{cite book |last=Hulbert |first=Archer B. |title=The Old National Road |series=Historic Highways of America |volume=10 |publisher=Arthur H. Clark |year=1901 |pages = 51–55}}</ref>

From 1806 to 1838, Congress appropriated about $6.8&nbsp;million for surveys, right‑of‑way acquisition, grading, stone surfacing, and masonry—an unprecedented federal outlay for transportation infrastructure. The project triggered widespread debates over the constitutional scope of "internal improvements".<ref>{{harvp|Weingroff|2021|pp=4–5}}.</ref>

The operation and maintenance of completed segments were transferred to the states in stages—Maryland&nbsp;(1833), Pennsylvania&nbsp;(1836), Virginia (now West Virginia)&nbsp;(1838), Ohio&nbsp;(1849), Indiana&nbsp;(1849), and Illinois&nbsp;(1856).<ref>{{harvp|Weingroff|2021|pp=18–22}}.</ref> Traffic declined with the rise of canals and railroads, but many portions were rebuilt in concrete or brick during the 1910s–1930s and incorporated into [[U.S. Route 40]].<ref>{{harvp|Raitz|1996|pp=209–217}}.</ref>

In the 20th century, with the advent of the automobile, the National Road was connected with other historic routes to [[California]] under the title, [[National Old Trails Road]].<ref>{{harvp| Raitz|1996|p=233}}.</ref> Today, much of the alignment is followed by [[U.S. Route 40]] (US&nbsp;40), with various portions bearing the [[U.S. Route 40 Alternate (Keysers Ridge–Cumberland, Maryland)|Alternate U.S. Route 40]] (Alt. US&nbsp;40) designation, or various state-road numbers (such as [[Maryland Route 144]] for several sections between Baltimore and Cumberland). Scholars regard the National Road as a foundational step toward the modern [[Interstate Highway System]].<ref>{{harvp|Raitz|1996|p=219}}.</ref>

In 1976, the [[American Society of Civil Engineers]] designated the National Road as a [[National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark]]. In 2002, the entire road, including extensions east to Baltimore and west to St. Louis, was designated the '''Historic National Road''', an [[All-American Road]].<ref>{{cite press release |url = https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pressroom/fhwa0227.cfm |title = U.S. Transportation Secretary Mineta Names 36 New National Scenic Byways, All-American Roads (6/13/02) |publisher = Federal Highway Administration |access-date = August 23, 2013 }}</ref> The surviving corridor, which includes historic tollhouses, stone‑arch and iron bridges, and intact macadam sections, is now listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="ScenicAmerica">{{cite web |title=All National Scenic Byways and All-American Roads |url=https://www.scenic.org/all-national-scenic-byways-and-all-american-roads/ |website=Scenic America |access-date=27 June 2025}}</ref>

==History==

===Braddock Road===
The [[Braddock Road (Route 40)|Braddock Road]] had been opened by the [[Ohio Company]] in 1751 between [[Fort Cumberland (Maryland)|Fort Cumberland]], the limit of navigation on the upper [[Potomac River]], and the French military station at [[Fort Duquesne]] at the forks of the [[Ohio River]], (at the confluence of the [[Allegheny River|Allegheny]] and [[Monongahela River]]s), an important trading and military point where the city of [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania|Pittsburgh]] now stands. It received its name during the colonial-era [[French and Indian War]] of 1753–1763 (also known as the [[Seven Years' War]] in Europe), when it was constructed by British [[Edward Braddock|General Edward Braddock]], who was accompanied by Colonel [[George Washington]] of the [[Virginia]] militia regiment in the ill-fated July 1755 [[Braddock expedition]], an attempt to assault the French-held Fort Duquesne.

===Cumberland Road===
[[File:Cumberland-national-road-marker-riverside-park2012.jpg|thumb|upright|Marker at the start of the Cumberland National Road]]
Construction of the Cumberland Road (which later became part of the longer National Road) was authorized on March 29, 1806, by [[United States Congress|Congress]]. The new Cumberland Road would replace the wagon and foot paths of the Braddock Road for travel between the Potomac and Ohio Rivers, following roughly the same alignment until just east of [[Uniontown, Pennsylvania]]. From there, where the Braddock Road turned north towards Pittsburgh, the new National Road/Cumberland Road continued west to [[Wheeling, Virginia]] (now [[West Virginia]]), also on the Ohio River.

The contract for the construction of the first section was awarded to Henry McKinley on May 8, 1811,<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.cumberlandroadproject.com/federal/cumberland-road-contracts1.php |title = Original Contract Information For the Construction of the Cumberland Road / National Road – 1811 to 1812 |publisher = The Cumberland Road Project |date = February 16, 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141013071115/http://www.cumberlandroadproject.com/federal/cumberland-road-contracts1.php |archive-date = October 13, 2014 |url-status = usurped |access-date = February 12, 2016 }}</ref> and construction began later that year, with the road reaching Wheeling on August 1, 1818. For more than 100 years, a simple granite stone was the only marker of the road's beginning in Cumberland, Maryland. In June 2012, a monument and plaza were built in that town's Riverside Park, next to the historic original starting point.

Beyond the National Road's eastern terminus at Cumberland and toward the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] coast, a series of private [[Toll road|toll roads and turnpikes]] were constructed, connecting the National Road (also known as the [[Old National Pike (disambiguation)|Old National Pike]]) with Baltimore, then the third-largest city in the country, and a major maritime port on [[Chesapeake Bay]]. Completed in 1824, these feeder routes formed what is referred to as an eastern extension of the federal National Road.

===Westward extension===
[[File:Wheeling Suspension Bridge west approach Wheeling Island West Virginia.jpg|thumb|left|The Wheeling Suspension Bridge across the Ohio River was completed in 1849 and was still in use by local traffic until its closure on September 24, 2019. The bridge is now limited to pedestrians only.]]

On May 15, 1820, Congress authorized an extension of the road to St. Louis, on the Mississippi River, and on March 3, 1825, across the Mississippi and to [[Jefferson City, Missouri]]. Work on the extension between Wheeling and [[Zanesville, Ohio]], used the pre-existing [[Zane's Trace]] of [[Ebenezer Zane]], and was completed in 1833 to the new [[state capital]] of [[Columbus, Ohio]], and in 1838 to the college town of [[Springfield, Ohio]].

In 1849, a bridge was completed to carry the National Road across the Ohio River at Wheeling. The [[Wheeling Suspension Bridge]], designed by [[Charles Ellet Jr.]], was at the time the world's longest bridge span at {{convert|1010|ft|m}} from tower to tower.

===Transfer to states===
[[File:Alt US&nbsp;40 Cumberland Narrows.jpg|thumb|The [[Cumberland Narrows]] west of Cumberland, part of the realigned routing]]
Maintenance costs on the Cumberland Road were becoming more than Congress was willing to bear. In agreements with Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, the road was to be reconstructed and resurfaced. The section that ran over [[Haystack Mountain (Maryland)|Haystack Mountain]], just west of Cumberland, was abandoned and a new road was built through the [[Cumberland Narrows]].

On April 1, 1835, the section from Wheeling to Cumberland was transferred to Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia (now West Virginia). The last congressional [[Appropriation (law)|appropriation]] was made May 25, 1838, and in 1840, Congress voted against completing the unfinished portion of the road, with the deciding vote being cast by [[Henry Clay]]. By that time, railroads were beginning to compete for long-distance transportation. The [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad]] was being built west from Baltimore to Cumberland, mostly along the Potomac River, which was a more direct route than the National Road across the [[Allegheny Plateau]] of West Virginia (then Virginia) to Wheeling. Construction of the National Road stopped in 1839. Portions of the road through Indiana and Illinois remained unpaved or otherwise rudimentary and were transferred to the states.

Federal construction of the road stopped at [[Vandalia, Illinois]], which at that time was the state's capital. Illinois officials decided not to continue construction without the federal funds because two state roads from Vandalia to the St. Louis area, today's US&nbsp;40 and [[Illinois Route 140]] (known then as the [[Alton, Illinois|Alton]] Road), already existed.<ref>{{Cite news |last = Selbert |first = Pamela |date = May 30, 2004 |title = A drive into the past on the Illinois National Road |language = en-US |work = Chicago Tribune |url = https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2004-05-30-0405300379-story.html |access-date = May 7, 2020 }}</ref>

===Subsequent events===
[[File:Madonna-of-the-Trail-Illino.jpg|thumb|upright|''[[Madonna of the Trail]]'' monument along the Old National Road in Vandalia, Illinois]]
In 1912, the National Road was chosen to become part of the [[National Old Trails Road]], which would extend further east to New York City and west to [[Los Angeles, California]]. Five ''[[Madonna of the Trail]]'' monuments, donated by the [[Daughters of the American Revolution]], were erected along the National Road section; others were erected further west.

In 1927, the National Road was designated as the eastern part of US&nbsp;40, which still generally follows the National Road's alignment with occasional bypasses, realignments, and newer bridges. The mostly parallel [[Interstate 70]] (I-70) now provides a faster route for through travel without the many sharp curves, steep grades, and narrow bridges of US&nbsp;40 and other segments of the National Road. Heading west from [[Hancock, Maryland|Hancock]] in western Maryland, I-70 takes a more northerly path to connect with and follow the [[Pennsylvania Turnpike]] (also designated as [[Interstate 76 (east)|I-76]]) across the mountains between [[Breezewood, Pennsylvania|Breezewood]] and [[New Stanton, Pennsylvania|New Stanton]], where I-70 turns west to rejoin the National Road's route (and US&nbsp;40) near [[Washington, Pennsylvania]].

The more recently constructed [[Interstate 68|I-68]] parallels the old road from Hancock through Cumberland west to [[Keyser's Ridge, Maryland]], where the National Road and US&nbsp;40 turn northwest into Pennsylvania, but I-68 continues directly west to meet [[Interstate 79|I-79]] near [[Morgantown, West Virginia]]. The portion of I-68 in Maryland is designated as the National Freeway.

===Historical structures===
[[File:CardCasselman014.jpg|thumb|The [[Casselman Bridge|Casselman River Bridge]] in western Maryland, completed in 1814]]
[[File:National Road marker, Columbus, OH 01.jpg|thumb|Mile marker along the National Road in [[Columbus, Ohio]]]]

Many of the National Road's original stone [[arch bridge]]s also remain on former alignments, including:
* [[Casselman Bridge, National Road|Casselman River Bridge]] near [[Grantsville, Maryland]]{{snd}}Built in 1813–1814 to carry the road across the [[Casselman River]], it was the longest single-span stone arch bridge in America at the time. 
* [[Great Crossings Bridge]] near [[Confluence, Pennsylvania]]—built in 1818 to carry the road over the [[Youghiogheny River]]—the bridge, and the adjacent town of Somerfield, Pennsylvania (which was [[Demolition|razed]]) are under the waters of [[Youghiogheny River Lake]] (though still visible at times of extremely low water levels).<ref>{{cite news |last = Lowry |first = Patricia |title = A bridge to the 19th century: Falling water-level of Youghiogheny unearths ghost town, historical crossing |date = January 7, 1999 |work = The [[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]] |url = http://old.post-gazette.com/magazine/19990107bridge3.asp |access-date = July 17, 2017 |archive-date = September 10, 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180910144340/http://old.post-gazette.com/magazine/19990107bridge3.asp |url-status = dead }}</ref>
Another remaining National Road bridge is the [[Wheeling Suspension Bridge]] at [[Wheeling, West Virginia]]. Opened in 1849 to carry the road over the [[Ohio River]], it was the [[List of largest suspension bridges|largest suspension bridge]] in the world until 1851, and until 2019 was the oldest vehicular [[suspension bridge]] in the United States still in use, although it has since been closed to vehicular traffic due to repeated overweight vehicles ignoring the weight limits and damaging the bridge. A newer bridge now carries the realigned US&nbsp;40 and [[Interstate 70 in West Virginia|I-70]] across the river nearby.

Three of the road's original toll houses are preserved:
* [[La Vale Tollgate House]], in [[La Vale, Maryland]]
* [[Petersburg Tollhouse]], in [[Addison, Pennsylvania]]
* [[Searights Tollhouse, National Road|Searights Tollhouse]], near [[Uniontown, Pennsylvania]]
Additionally, several [[Old National Pike Milestones]]—some well-maintained, others deteriorating, and yet others represented by modern replacements—remain intact along the route.

==Route description==
{{See also|U.S. Route 40 Alternate (Keyser's Ridge – Cumberland, Maryland)}}
[[File:S Bridge by Old Washington.jpg|thumb|right|The S Bridge on the National Road east of Old Washington, Ohio]]
[[File:Madonna of the Trail Richmond, IN.jpg|thumb|right|225px|Madonna of the Trail in [[Richmond, Indiana]], with the National Road in the background]]
In general, the road climbed westwards along the [[Amerindian]] trail known as Chief [[Nemacolin's Path]], once followed and improved by a young George Washington, then also followed by the Braddock Expedition. Using the [[Cumberland Narrows]], its first phase of construction crossed the [[Allegheny Mountains]] entered southwestern Pennsylvania, reaching the Allegheny Plateau in [[Somerset County, Pennsylvania]]. There, travelers could turn off to Pittsburgh or continue west through [[Uniontown, Pennsylvania|Uniontown]] and reach navigable water, the [[Monongahela River]], at [[Brownsville, Pennsylvania]], which was by then a major outfitting center and [[riverboat]]-building emporium. Many settlers boarded boats there to travel down the Ohio and up the Missouri, or elsewhere on the [[Mississippi watershed]].

By 1818, travelers could press on, still following Chief Nemacolin's trail across the ford, or taking a ferry to West Brownsville, moving through [[Washington County, Pennsylvania]], and passing into Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia), {{convert|45|mi|km|0}} away on the Ohio River. Subsequent efforts pushed the road across the states of Ohio and Indiana and into the [[Illinois Territory]]. The western terminus of the National Road at its greatest extent was at the [[Kaskaskia River]] in [[Vandalia, Illinois]], near the intersection of modern [[U.S. Route 51 in Illinois|US&nbsp;51]] and US&nbsp;40.

Today, travelers driving east from Vandalia travel along modern US&nbsp;40 through south-central Illinois. The National Road continued into Indiana along modern US&nbsp;40, passing through the cities of Terre Haute and Indianapolis. Within Indianapolis, the National Road used the original alignment of US&nbsp;40 along West and East [[Washington Street (Indianapolis)|Washington Street]] (modern US&nbsp;40 is now routed along [[Interstate 465|I-465]]). East of Indianapolis, the road went through the city of Richmond before entering Ohio, where the road continued along modern US&nbsp;40 and passed through the northern suburbs of Dayton, Springfield, and Columbus.

West of [[Zanesville, Ohio]], despite US&nbsp;40's predominantly following the original route, many segments of the original road can still be found. Between Old Washington and Morristown, the original roadbed has been overlaid by [[Interstate 70|I-70]]. The road then continued east across the Ohio River into Wheeling in West Virginia, the original western end of the National Road when it was first paved. After running {{convert|15|mi|km}} in West Virginia, the National Road then entered Pennsylvania.

The road cut across southwestern Pennsylvania, heading southeast for about {{convert|90|mi|km}} before entering Maryland. East of Keyser's Ridge, the road used modern Alt US&nbsp;40 to the city of Cumberland (modern US&nbsp;40 is now routed along [[Interstate 68|I-68]]). Cumberland was the original eastern terminus of the road.

In the mid-19th century{{Citation needed|reason=20th century?|date=February 2025}}, a turnpike extension to Baltimore was approved—along what is now Maryland Route 144 from Cumberland to Hancock, US&nbsp;40 from Hancock to Hagerstown, Alternate US&nbsp;40 from Hagerstown to Frederick, and Maryland Route 144 from Frederick to Baltimore. The approval process was a hotly debated subject because of the removal of the original macadam construction that made this road famous.

The road's route between Baltimore and Cumberland continues to use the name National Pike or Baltimore National Pike and as Main Street in Ohio today, with various portions now signed as US&nbsp;40, [[U.S. Route 40 Alternate (Keysers Ridge–Cumberland, Maryland)|Alt. US&nbsp;40]], or [[Maryland Route 144]]. A spur between [[Frederick, Maryland]], and [[Georgetown (Washington, D.C.)]], now [[Maryland Route 355]], bears various local names, but is sometimes referred to as the Washington National Pike;{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}} it is now paralleled by [[Interstate 270 (Maryland)|I-270]] between the [[Interstate 495 (Capital Beltway)|Capital Beltway (I-495)]] and Frederick.

== Millionaires' Row ==
Nicknamed the "Main Street of America",<ref>{{cite web |title = About Wayne County |url = https://www.visitrichmond.org/visitors/welcome/about-wayne-county |website = Visit Richmond Indiana |publisher = Richmond / Wayne County IN Convention and Visitors Bureau |access-date = August 17, 2021 |language = en  }}</ref> the road's presence in towns on its route and effective access to surrounding towns attracted wealthy residents to build their houses along the road in towns such as in [[Richmond, Indiana]],<ref>{{cite news |last1 = Stephens |first1 = Steve |date = May 6, 2016 |title = Inn for the Night: Just past Ohio border, restored mansion awaits in Richmond, Ind. |url = https://www.dispatch.com/article/20160505/LIFESTYLE/305054668 |access-date = August 17, 2021 |work = [[The Columbus Dispatch]] |language = en  }}</ref> and [[Springfield, Ohio]], creating [[Millionaires' Row]]s.<ref>{{cite web |last1 = Roy |first1 = Norm |title = A look at another Springfield - Springfield, Ohio |url = https://www.masslive.com/living/2009/10/a_look_at_another_springfield_-_springfield_ohio.html |website = masslive (The Republican) |publisher = [[Advance Local Media]] |access-date = August 17, 2021 |language = en  |date = October 9, 2009 }}</ref>

==Historic designations==
[[File:The National Road - National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark plaque - National Road Museum - DSC02787.JPG|thumb|Plaque marking National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark designation]]

In 1976, the [[American Society of Civil Engineers]] designated the National Road as a [[National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark]].<ref>{{cite book |title = Traffic Engineering |author = Institute of Traffic Engineers |publisher = Institute of Transportation Engineers |year = 1976 |page = 9 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Parks |first=Greg |date=June 25, 1976 |title=Ceremony Designating National Road Civil Engineering Landmark Held Here |work=New Concord Leader}}</ref>

There are several structures associated with the National Road that are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]]. Some are listed below.

===Maryland===
* [[Old National Pike Milestones|Sixty-nine milestones]] in Maryland on [[Maryland Route 144]] and [[Maryland Route 165]], [[U.S. Route 40 in Maryland|U.S. Route 40]], [[U.S. Route 40 Alternate (Keysers Ridge–Cumberland, Maryland)|U.S. Route 40 Alternate]], and [[U.S. Route 40 Scenic]]
* [[Inns on the National Road]] in [[Cumberland, Maryland]], and [[Grantsville, Maryland]]
* [[Casselman Bridge, National Road|Casselman River Bridge]] near [[Grantsville, Maryland]]

===Pennsylvania===
The [[Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission]] has installed five [[List of Pennsylvania state historical markers in Washington County|historical markers]] noting the historic importance of the road: one in [[Somerset County, Pennsylvania|Somerset County]] on August 10, 1947, one in [[Washington County, Pennsylvania|Washington County]] on April 1, 1949, and three in [[Fayette County, Pennsylvania|Fayette County]] on October 12, 1948, October 12, 1948, and May 19, 1996.<ref>{{cite web |title = National Road – PHMC Historical Markers |work = Historical Marker Database |publisher = Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission |url = http://search.pahistoricalmarkers.com/ |access-date = December 9, 2013 |archive-url = https://archive.today/20131207041235/http://search.pahistoricalmarkers.com/ |archive-date = December 7, 2013 |url-status = dead }}</ref>
* [[Petersburg Tollhouse]] in [[Addison, Pennsylvania]]
* [[Fort Necessity National Battlefield#Mount Washington Tavern|Mount Washington Tavern]] adjacent to the [[Fort Necessity National Battlefield]] in [[Wharton Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania|Wharton Township, Pennsylvania]]
* [[Searights Tollhouse, National Road]], in [[Uniontown, Pennsylvania]]
* [[Dunlap's Creek Bridge]], near [[Brownsville, Pennsylvania]], the first [[cast iron]] [[arch bridge]] in the [[United States]]. Completed in 1839, it was designed by [[Richard Delafield]] and built by the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers]].<ref name="jackson">{{cite book |last = Jackson |first = Donald C. |title = Great American Bridges and Dams |publisher = Wiley |year = 1988 |page = [https://archive.org/details/greatamericanbri0000jack/page/142 142] |url = https://archive.org/details/greatamericanbri0000jack/page/142 |isbn = 0-471-14385-5 }}</ref> Still in use, the bridge is also a [[National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark]].
* [[Claysville S Bridge]] in [[Washington County, Pennsylvania]], near [[Claysville, Pennsylvania]]

===West Virginia===
* Mile markers 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, and 14 in [[West Virginia]]
* [[National Road Corridor Historic District]] in [[Wheeling, West Virginia]]
* [[Wheeling Suspension Bridge]] in Wheeling, West Virginia

=== Ohio ===
* [[National Road (Cambridge, Ohio)|Peacock Road]] in [[Cambridge, Ohio]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Madison County, Ohio|The Red Brick Tavern]] in [[Lafayette, Madison County, Ohio]], built in 1837

===Indiana===
* [[Huddleston Farmhouse|Hudleston Farmhouse Inn]] in [[Mount Auburn, Indiana]]
* [[Riley Birthplace and Museum|James Whitcomb Riley House]] in [[Greenfield, Indiana]]

=== Illinois ===
* [[Old Stone Arch, National Road]], near [[Marshall, Illinois]]<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2006a}}</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery mode="packed" caption="National Road" widths="200px" heights="150px">
File:Petersburg Tollhouse.jpg|Petersburg Tollhouse, National Road, [[Addison, Pennsylvania]]
File:Red Brick Tavern in Lafayette.jpg|Red Brick Tavern, National Road, [[Lafayette, Madison County, Ohio|Lafayette, Ohio]]
File:National Road Mile Markers Numbers 8 9 10 11 13 14.jpg|Mile markers, West Virginia
File:Old National Road, Clark Center, IL, US.jpg|Abandoned part <!-- of the road --> at [[Clark Center, Illinois]]
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Portal|U.S. Roads|National Register of Historic Places}}
* [[National Old Trails Road]] (Ocean-to-Ocean Highway)
{{Clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last1 = Raitz |first1 = Karl B. |last2 = Thompson |first2 = George F. |last3 = Pauer |first3 = Gyula |title = The National Road |date = 1996 |publisher = Johns Hopkins University Press |hdl = 2027/heb.05815 |isbn = 9780801851568 |url = http://hdl.handle.net/2027/heb.05815 |language = en |oclc = 33667988 }} [https://www.fulcrum.org/epubs_access/3x816m93p?locale=en restricted access] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210818000910/https://www.fulcrum.org/epubs_access/3x816m93p?locale=en |date=August 18, 2021 }}
* {{cite book |last = Sky |first = Theodore |title = The National Road and the Difficult Path to Sustainable National Investment |publisher = University of Delaware Press |year = 2012 }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{NSRW Poster|Cumberland Road}}
* [https://www.asce.org/about-civil-engineering/history-and-heritage/historic-landmarks/national-road American Society of Civil Engineers landmark information]
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20000105075712/http://www.nationalroad.org/ National Road Association of Illinois]}} – National Road in [[Illinois]]
* [http://www.indiananationalroad.org/ Indiana National Road Association] – National Road in [[Indiana]]
* [http://www.ohionationalroad.org/ Ohio National Road Association] – National Road in [[Ohio]]
* [http://www.wvcommerce.org/travel/gettinghere/wvbyways/nationalroad.aspx National Road in West Virginia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105103331/http://www.wvcommerce.org/travel/gettinghere/wvbyways/nationalroad.aspx |date=November 5, 2012 }} – by the West Virginia Department of Commerce
* [http://www.nationalroadpa.org/ National Road Heritage Corridor] – National Road in [[Pennsylvania]]
* [https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/trailsc.cfm The National Old Trails Road Part 1: The Quest for a National Road]
* [https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/bankroad.cfm Maryland's Bank Road] (Baltimore to Cumberland)
* [http://www.prrths.com/Hagley/PRR_hagley_intro.htm PRR Chronology] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131222235728/http://www.prrths.com/Hagley/PRR_hagley_intro.htm |date=December 22, 2013 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20131003101338/http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/byways/byways/2278 The Historic National Road], from the [[America's Byways]] website of the [[Federal Highway Administration]]
* [https://highways.dot.gov/highway-history/general-highway-history/national-old-trails-road-photo-gallery The National Old Trails Road Photo Gallery]
* [http://www.ohionationalroad.org/TravelersGuide/TravelersGuide.pdf Ohio National Road driving tour] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131101063424/http://ohionationalroad.org/TravelersGuide/TravelersGuide.pdf |date=November 1, 2013 }}
* {{NRHP url|id=64500534|title=National Register of Historic Places nomination form – Pennsylvania}}
* {{NRHP url|id=64500729|title=National Register of Historic Places nomination form – West Virginia}}
* [http://nationalpike.blogspot.com/ 125 M to B: The National Pike and National Road]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:National Road| ]]
[[Category:All-American Roads]]
[[Category:Historic trails and roads in the United States]]
[[Category:Roads on the National Register of Historic Places]]
[[Category:Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks]]
[[Category:History of Cumberland, MD-WV MSA]]
[[Category:Roads on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio]]
[[Category:Roads on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia]]
[[Category:Roads on the National Register of Historic Places in Indiana]]
[[Category:Roads on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Roads on the National Register of Historic Places in Maryland]]
[[Category:U.S. Route 40]]
[[Category:9th United States Congress]]
[[Category:Scenic byways in Ohio]]
[[Category:1811 establishments in the United States]]