What were roads like in 1769?

Answer 1

The National Road or The National Pike (now called Route 40) in 1811 was still mostly a one-lane muddy track that followed ridges and meandered through lower lying areas. Single men rode horses, families sometimes used horse or oxen-drawn carts or wagons; both left deep ruts and deep animal hoof markings in the mud. Through many small towns in MD and PA, farmers drove herds of livestock down The Pike, including sheep, cows, chickens, etc. on their way to ships at Uniontown PA. All these "feet" chewed up the road, making it a rutted mud-pile. Animal wastes littered the track. When the mud and waste got bad enough, farmers and children brought and threw onto the road hay and wild grasses that grew along the road. This soaked up some of the watery mess, making it less slippery whether in winter or summer. Farmers also collected unneeded small rocks from their fields and properties and threw the rocks into the ruts.

Note that in the early 1800s, there were not hundreds and thousands of small roads like there are today. Residents had to make Applications to the County Court House for permission to dig / cut a lane or road between two points (such as from The National Pike to a road already made that are now referred to as a State Route). ALL of these roads were untreated dirt / mud / rock / stone.

Stage Coach travel on The Pike prompted locals to find better road treatments. The first attempts were to cover the road(s) with cut stone fitted into the mud/dirt.

In coal country, they also covered mud roads in a coal by-product called red dog, which formed when heat was used to create (coal-) Coke. Coke is defined as, "a solid fuel made by heating coal in the absence of air so that the volatile components are driven off." For more about the by-product red dog, see: heraldcourier.com/news/red-dog-used-in-road-projects-until-s/article_32b59f2a-3579-51ee-a536-9722bf03469b.html

Sources about conditions of roadway known as The National Pike:

1. Ten Mile Country by Lecky
2. Road Petitions, 1809, Washington County, PA Court House, Baker: Request for a new road between Egg Nog Hill on The Pike, and Lone Pine at Glyde (local landmarks on or near The Pike)
3. Study of resident deeds for Amwell Twp. and West Bethehem Twp, which were beside and included The Pike
4. Genealogical study of German Baptists (Dunkards) and German Lutherans located from Egg Nog Hill to East outside of Scenery Hill on The National Pike, and SW to Lone Pine, PA and Marianna, PA.