Along the National Road

The Historic National Road holds many titles and nicknames, all of them well earned.

It is called “The Road That Built The Nation” because of its role in our expansion westward and economic survival as a young nation, and also “Main Street of America” due to the many towns which appeared along its shoulders.

In 1976, the Army Corps of Engineers declared the road to be a National Civil Engineering Landmark because of its tremendous undertaking and numerous engineering feats and firsts.

In 1996, the State of Maryland recognized the Historic National Road as one of our state’s first and longest Scenic Byways, crossing 170 miles of the state.

And finally in 2002, the America’s Byways program declared the Historic National Road not only a National Scenic and Historic Byway, but also an All-American Road.

The official federal “National Road” was built only between Cumberland, Maryland to Vandalia, Illinois.   Despite this, the Historic Byway designations and the story of the Roads’ history include the extensions from Vandalia to St. Louis, and from Cumberland to Baltimore, both pre-existing routes which the Federal road connected.

Along this Baltimore to St. Louis roadway are countless scenic views, historic sites, museums, and landmarks to be seen and enjoyed.  Lining the road are towns, villages and parks, each with their own offerings for dining, shopping, and recreation.  Many of these towns were once bustling economic centers during the National Road’s heyday, and today rely on the Road related tourism and travelers for economic growth.

For this reason, we at the National Road Heritage Foundation seek to promote the road as a whole, with our museums as a stop, making the Historic National Road a trip to remember!