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THE old National
Road and its construction created as much
interest
in its day not only in this county, but in all the country through
which it
passed, as any internal improvement ever inaugurated in the State of Illinois,
perhaps. It was originally called the Cumberland Road, after the old stage road from
Washington, D.
C., to Cumberland, Md.,
a great highway in its time, and forming the eastern division and
terminus.
This road was a national work. It had been provided for in the
reservation of
five per cent of the sale of public lands in Illinois
and other States, and biennial appropriations were its dependence for a
continuance to completion. When Congress made any appropriation for
this road,
it required that “said sums of money shall be replaced out of any funds
reserved for laying out and making
roads, under the direction of Congress, by the several acts passed for
the
admission of the States of Ohio. Indiana,
Illinois and Missouri
into the Union, on an equal footing with the
original
States.
The work was
commenced on the
road in this county in 1827-’28, by the cutting out of the timber on
the line,
and was pushed to practical completion as far west as nearly to the
east line
of Fayette County. Then with scattering work at the streams as far west
as
Vandalia, such as a levee across the Okaw bottom, and several bridges
at that
place had exhausted the appropriations of Congress, and the people of
Illinois,
becoming crazed over the foolish State policy, were divided in
sentiment to the
extent (some wanted it to go to St. Louis and others to Alton) that no
further
appropriations were procured, and the great work was stopped. To this
portion
of the country it was a most important public work. It gave the people
access
to the out side world, where, before, they had been pent up by almost
impossible obstacles. People could go to Terre
Haute,
and even to St. Louis, and
thus
reach markets and sell the little portable stuff they had, and buy such
things
as their necessities demanded and haul them home. But the growth of
county improvements
was slow indeed. The county, like the people generally, was poor, and
while
they made commendable efforts, yet often the money was wasted through
being
expended by inexperienced or ignorant men.
In after years,
it may be of interest to some, to know which of the public highways passing through Clark
County, was once known
as the old National Road,
and just where it was located. It is the
road passing east and west through Marshall,
on the north side of the public square, and known as Cumberland
or Main street within the
corporate limits, taking its name from the original title of the road. It was a
great thoroughfare before the era of railroads, and was intended to cross the
continent, even as railroads now cross it. But railroads were invented a little
too soon for its entire completion, amid its importance in this age of steam, is
no greater than any ordinary county or State road. |
