National Road
Route: 40
Washington, PA
Region: Pittsburgh & Its Countryside
Crossing 90 miles of southwestern Pennsylvania, America’s first federally-funded highway is mile after gorgeous mile of history, wildlife, and culture. The Historic National Road is a topographic wonder, with its roots in early trails cut through the woods by Indians marking paths for George Washington and General Braddock. The Whiskey Rebellion started here in the 1790s, and in the 1800s the road opened the land west of the Alleghenies to pioneers and traders.
Slow down and hit must-see attractions like Fort Necessity National Battlefield, where the French and Indian War began in 1754, and Braddock’s gravesite. Save time for the Addison and Searights Tollhouses, the “S” bridge, stone taverns and inns, and Brownsville with its Northside Historic District. Nearby, Nemacolin Castle overlooks the Monongahela River and recalls the town’s boomtown heyday.
