Skip to main content

The National Road - Illinois - Vandalia

Image
By

 


Some 620 miles away from the historic National Road's eastern end in Cumberland, Maryland is the western end of the historic road in Vandalia, Illinois. The National Road (or Cumberland Road) was planned to go through and later built to Vandalia for a few reasons. Vandalia holds the distinction of being founded to serve as the state capital of the great State of Illinois. In 1819, the United States Congress donated land to the state of Illinois for a capital and five commissioners were assigned the task of picking the location for the future state capital that wasn't prone to flooding like the original state capital in Kaskaskia. A trip up the Kaskaskia River in May 1819 brought the group to an area known as Reeve's Bluff, located on the river's west bank, and this area was chosen to be the state capital and became Vandalia. The route of the National Road through Illinois was chosen because Vandalia was capital. Abraham Lincoln was in Vandalia early in his political career, serving as a state legislator during the time when the National Road reached Vandalia, and both the man and the road continue to play prominent roles in the story of this small Midwestern city.

When federal funding for the National Road was eventually discontinued following the Panic of 1837, the National Road had only reached as far west as Vandalia. At that time, it became the first road in the United States to use macadam road surfacing, which was a new technology at the time. During the 1830s, the federal government conveyed part of the responsibility to the states through which the National Road runs. Tollgates and tollhouses were then built by the states. Plans were made to continue the National Road to either Alton, Illinois at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers or St. Louis, Missouri and on to Jefferson City, Missouri upstream on the Missouri River. However, funding ran dry after $6.8 million was spent on constructing the National Road, stopping construction and leaving the terminus at Vandalia, Illinois. Certain groups wanted the road to continue to St. Louis, while others wanted it to go north to Alton. Neither group got their way, as the controversy and financial situation of the day caused Senator Henry Clay, a major advocate of the National Road, to give up on the project and authorize any remaining transportation funding of the day go to emerging transportation alternatives such as railroads and canals.

A "Madonna of the Trail" monument was placed in Vandalia at the old Vandalia State House Building, commemorating the western terminus of the National Road. The monument was put in place in 1928 by the Daughters of the American Revolution as a tribute to the pioneer women who traveled the National Road. The National Old Trails Road also went through Vandalia as a way of linking the old pioneer roads to early automobile travel. Today, the history of the National Road is still prevalent in Vandalia. While Vandalia has not been the state capital of Illinois since 1839, there is still a strong sense of history permeating around town. There is a Historic National Road Interpretive Center to see, but there are plenty of National Road relics to be found throughout a visit to Vandalia as well. Let's take a look.

A small monument for the National Road (or Cumberland Road) found on the grounds of the Old State House in Vandalia.

Historic National Road scenic byway signage found in downtown Vandalia.

Downtown Vandalia on a quiet summer morning.

Madonna of the Trail statue, one of a dozen statues that were placed along the National Old Trails Road. This particular statue was chosen to be placed in Vandalia due to the significance of the National Road ending in Vandalia.

Inscriptions on the base of the statue summarize the story of the National Road.

And of Abraham Lincoln. There are plenty of places to find Honest Abe around town, if you're looking for Lincoln.

Sign noting the Old State Capitol building in Vandalia. It looks rather stately.

The Old State Capitol building was constructed in 1836 and was the fourth state capitol building in the history of Illinois and is the oldest state capitol building still remaining in Illinois. It only served as the state house for a few years, as the Illinois state capital moved from Vandalia to Springfield in 1839. You can tour the building and apparently it has been restored to the condition during the time when Abraham Lincoln served in the Illinois state legislature in Vandalia.


The second and third state capitol buildings were also in Vandalia. After the state capital moved to Springfield, the old state house served as the Fayette County courthouse for nearly a century.


You can find references to Abraham Lincoln throughout Vandalia, maybe more so than the National Road.

The young Lincoln statue across the street from the Old State Capitol.

The statue is located in a small pocket park called Lincoln Park. This is across the way from the Madonna of the Trail statue.


How to Get There:




Sources and Links:
Vandalia, Illinois - Explore Vandalia
Legends of America - The National Road – First Highway in America
Effingham Daily News - Vandalia center displays National Road history
National Road Association of Illinois - Communities - Central
Labels:
Location: Vandalia, IL 62471, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Interstate 40's Tumultuous Ride Through the Pigeon River Gorge

By
In the nearly 60 years Interstate 40 has been open to traffic through the Pigeon River Gorge in the mountains of Western North Carolina, it has been troubled by frequent rockslides and damaging flooding, which has seen the over 30-mile stretch through North Carolina and Tennessee closed for months at a time. Most recently, excessive rainfall from Hurricane Helene in September 2024 saw sections of Interstate 40 wash away into a raging Pigeon River. While the physical troubles of Interstate 40 are well known, how I-40 came to be through the area is a tale of its own. Interstate 40 West through Haywood County near mile marker 10. I-40's route through the Pigeon River Gorge dates to local political squabbles in the 1940s and a state highway law written in 1921. A small note appeared in the July 28, 1945, Asheville Times. It read that the North Carolina State Highway Commission had authorized a feasibility study of a "...water-level road down [the] Pigeon River to the Tennessee l...
3 comments
Read more

Massena Center Suspension Bridge

By
The Massena Center Bridge, also known as the Holton D. Robinson Bridge, has had quite the tumultuous history. Situated on the Grasse River just east of Massena, New York in the hamlet of Massena Center, the Massena Center Bridge is a reminder of the efforts the community has made in order to connect over the river. The first and only other known bridge to be built at Massena Center was built in 1832, but that bridge was never long for this world. During the spring of 1833, the Grasse River dammed itself due to an ice dam, flooded and lifted the bridge off its foundation, destroying the bridge in the process.  The floods were frequent in the river during the spring, often backing up the river from Hogansburg and past Massena Center, but not to nearby Massena. After the first bridge disappeared, local residents had to resort to traveling seven miles west to Massena to cross the next closest bridge, and that was no easy task for a horse and buggy. However, it was many decades befo...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Dead Man's Curve of Interstate 90 and Innerbelt Freeway in Cleveland

By
"Dead Man's Curve" refers to the transition ramp Interstate 90 takes between Cleveland Memorial Shoreway onto the Innerbelt Freeway in downtown Cleveland, Ohio.  Said curve includes a sharp transition between the two freeways which is known for a high rate of accidents.  Currently the curve (not officially named) has a 35 MPH advisory speed and numerous safety features intended to mitigate crashes.  When the Interstate System was first conceived during 1956, Interstate 90 was intended to use the entirety Cleveland Memorial Shoreway and connect to the Northwest Freeway through Lakewood.  The Innerbelt Freeway was initially planned as the northernmost segment of Interstate 71.  The extension of Cleveland Memorial Shoreway west of Edgewater Park was never constructed which led to Interstate 90 being routed through the Innerbelt Freeway.   Part 1; the history of Cleveland's Innerbelt Freeway and Deadman's Curve The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 was signe...
Post a Comment
Read more