The Old Pike / A History of the National Road, with Incidents, Accidents, and Anecdotes Thereon

A chronological account traces the federal and state decisions, funding measures, and engineering choices that created and sustained the national highway, including debates over materials, bridge designs, and maintenance responsibility. It documents construction practices and administrative changes, then shifts to social history: travel culture, wagoners, stagecoaches, mail service, tolls, and the taverns and towns that lined the route. Numerous incidents, accidents, contractor controversies, and personal anecdotes illustrate daily life on the pike, while appendices collect relevant laws, reports, and correspondence to clarify the road’s technical, legal, and local dimensions.