National Road
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The National Road—formerly 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 in
Marker at the start of the Cumberland National Road
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.
The Cumberland Narrows west of Cumberland, part of the realigned routing
Madonna of the Trail monument along the Old National Road in Vandalia, Illinois
Vandalia, Illinois
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Vandalia is a city in and the county seat of Fayette County, Illinois, United States. At the 2020 Census, the population was 7,458. The city is 60 miles northeast of the Greater St. Louis area on the
National Road
…gangs reached Zanesville in 1833, Columbus in 1834, the eastern outskirts of Indianapolis in 1836, Terre Haute in 1838, and the then‑capital of Vandalia, Illinois—591 mi (951 km) from Cumberland—by 1839, when federal contracts ceased. From 1806 to 1838, Congress appropriated about $6.8 million for surveys…
Downtown Vandalia
Madonna of the Trail statue in front of the Vandalia State House
Vandalia City Hall