The Cumberland Road

The Cumberland Road, also known as the National Road, was the first major federally funded highway in the United States, built in the early 19th century to connect the Appalachian Mountains to the western frontier. It initially stretched from Cumberland, Maryland, westward through Ohio to Indiana, facilitating migration, trade, and economic growth. Designed to improve transportation between the East and West, it played a key role in opening up the American interior and supported settlement and commerce during westward expansion. Today, it is considered a historic route and a symbol of early U.S. infrastructure development.