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History of Turnpikes for kids
People have been charged to travel on roads for
thousands of years. A gate, called a turnpike, was set
across a road to stop a travelers passage until a fee,
or toll, had been paid.
History of Turnpikes for kids: Description
Early turnpikes consisted of a long, horizontal cross of
timber that turned on a vertical pin
History of Turnpikes - Definition of the word
Definition: The word 'turnpike' was a combination of two
words turn+pike. A pike was the name of a medieval
pole-mounted weapon. A sharp spiked blade was
mounted on a long wooden shaft, or pole (between 4 and
14 feet long) - referred to as a pikestaff or pike.
(picture on your left)
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Early Turnpike |
The Turnpikes: Toll House ( now Toll Booth)
Next to the turnpikes were toll houses, as seen in the picture. The
toll houses came to be called Toll booths in America.
Turnpikes to Toll Roads
Turnpikes to Toll Roads: The first roads in America were developed
by the early settlers. They traveled across the trails created by
Native Americans and as horses and wagons were used the roads became
more defined. Early Americans traveled along such roads and
collected tolls from people who used that specific stretches of
roads. Some turnpikes (gates) were erected.
After the American Revolution, the government began to realize the
importance of
Westward Expansion
and the importance of trade in the
development of the new Nation. George Washington appreciated the
importance of transportation as did the leaders of the newly formed
states. In 1791, the legislature of the Pennsylvanian Commonwealth
approved a state wide transportation plan. An era of road building
began that was marked by the development of turnpike companies.
History of Turnpikes for kids: The First Toll Roads
The first American turnpike road was a state enterprise, approved by
a Virginia act of 1785. The first Important toll road in the United
States built by a private corporation was the Philadelphia and
Lancaster Turnpike. This Turnpike was built in the 1792 connecting
Philadelphia and Lancaster in Pennsylvania. The Great Western
Turnpike was started in Albany, New York State in 1799.
Turnpikes: The Turnpike Companies
The process
of building roads was very expensive.
The Boston-Newburyport Turnpike, was 32 miles long and cost
approximately $12,500 per mile to construct. n an attempt to
finance the building and maintenance of roads, without raising
taxes, the state legislatures began granting charters to private
turnpike companies. The turnpike companies built, improved, and
maintained a particular section of roadway, and tolls were collected
from users to finance the ventures. Turnpike companies sold shares
of stock in order
to raise the funds in order to cover the cost of labor and
materials. Once the turnpike road was completed, the companies
charged tolls to those who traveled the road in order to make a
profit and repay its investors. Many of these early toll roads kept
the name 'Turnpikes' - it conveyed to people that a charge would be
made for using the road. Turnpikes therefore came into common use
and the term is used interchangeably with toll road in current
terminology. Some of the Turnpikes were nearly 200 miles (320 km)
long.
The
Turnpikes: The Cumberland Road
The
government made the decision to build a National road (the
Cumberland Road) that would lead from the center of the US
(Maryland), westward, to
Ohio.
In 1824 a succession
of private turnpikes were completed that connected the
National Road (Pike) with Baltimore, Maryland and its
port on Chesapeake Bay. In 1832 tolls began
being charged on the Cumberland Road and Toll houses were built about every 20
miles.
The
Turnpikes: The 'American System'
The
building of the turnpikes was an integral part of the economic plan
of
Henry Clay and the
'American System'.
Part of the American System was based on creating new
transportation systems connecting America.
The
Turnpikes - The General Survey Act
The
General
Survey Act was a law passed by the United States Congress in April
1824 that was extremely important to the development of the
Turnpikes. The General Survey Act authorized the president to have
surveys made of important transportation routes. The law
specified that surveys were made for routes requiring roads and
canals "of national importance, in a commercial or military point of
view, or necessary for the transportation of public mail."
The Turnpikes: Turnpikes, Canals and Railroads
The road
building boom continued across the United States. It was the era of
the U.S. Industrial Revolution. Then
Steamboats and steam trains
were invented. The nation needed railways and canals to speed travel
times. The
Railroads of
the 1800s were developed. The
Erie Canal was constructed. Travel
westward was encouraged by the belief in the
Manifest Destiny of the United
States. Some of the
turnpikes were converted to canals and railroads. The
Lancaster Turnpike route was replaced first by a canal and then with
a railroad.
Why were Turnpikes important?
Importance and
Significance of
the Turnpikes in the 1800s
The
development of turnpikes was one of the most important events of
the U.S. Industrial Revolution. The importance and significance of the
turnpikes was:
● The
construction of the Turnpikes
improved transportation across the U.S.
● Turnpikes played
a Important role in the success of the American System
● Thousands
of settlers utilized the turnpikes in the 1800s to move westward
● New cities
and towns emerged along the routes of the turnpikes. For
additional facts refer to the
History of
Urbanization in America
● The
construction of the Turnpikes
increased trade by providing the means for transporting
products and manufactured goods across the country
● The
private turnpike companies avoided the need for the government
to increase taxes
● Turnpikes,
canals and railroads contributed to the economic development of
the United States in the 1800's
Turnpikes for kids
The article on Turnpikes provides interesting
information about these important construction projects that were
established during the presidency of the 4th President of the United States of America.
Turnpikes - President James Madison Video
The article on the
Turnpikes provides an overview of one of the Important
developments of his presidential term in office. The following
James Madison video will
give you additional important History Facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 4th American President whose presidency spanned from March 4, 1809 to March 4, 1817.
Turnpikes
●
Interesting Facts about the
Turnpikes for kids
●
The History of the Turnpikes
●
The Turnpikes, a Important
event in US history
●
James Madison Presidency from March 4, 1809 to March 4, 1817
●
Fast, fun, interesting Facts on the Turnpikes
● The Definition and
Importance of Turnpikes
●
James Madison Presidency and
the Turnpikes for schools,
homework, kids and children |
