Last week my wife and I took a few days to visit Frederick, Maryland and points west. One of the highlights of the trip was the drive from Frederick to Deep Creek Lake in the western part of the state. We went out via interstate highway (I 70 and I 68) and then route 219 south to Deep Creek Lake.

But on our return trip we wandered off the main road a bit to enjoy a bit of history and to appreciate the magnificent scenery at a slower pace.

In the early 1800s the United States was a young country and the western part of Maryland and Virginia was still frontier. So in order to connect the settled east coast with the frontier, the federal government build a road from Cumberland, Maryland to Wheeling, Virginia (West Virginia now).

This Cumberland or National Road connected with various turnpikes on the east coast to connect the East with the interior at Wheeling and was later extended further west. Parts of the National Road were later incorporated into US Route 40 and parts of Route 40 into parts into the interstate highway system (I 70 and I 68).

One part I particularly enjoyed was standing on the old Casselman River Bridge which was part of the National Road. It was erected in 1813 and at that time was the longest single-span stone-arch bridge in the United States. The arch was only 80 feet. In 1933 traffic was moved to the newer Route 40 bridge and the old Casselman River Bridge became a pedestrian bridge.

From the middle of the bridge one could view both the Route 40 bridge and the I 68 bridge. One the west side of the bridge is a small state park and on the east side is an artisan’s village.

If you have the time, it is well worth the diversion onto the old Route 40 near Grantsville, MD.