Boston Post Road | |
|---|---|
 Routes of the Boston Post Road | |
| Major junctions | |
| South end |  US 1 inNew York City |
| North end |  Route 1A inBoston |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Highway system | |
TheBoston Post Road was a system ofmail-delivery routes betweenNew York City andBoston, Massachusetts, that evolved into one of the first major highways in the United States.
The three major alignments were the Lower Post Road (nowU.S. Route 1 (US 1) along the shore viaProvidence, Rhode Island), the Upper Post Road (nowUS 5 andUS 20 fromNew Haven, Connecticut, by way ofSpringfield, Massachusetts), and the Middle Post Road (which diverged from the Upper Road inHartford, Connecticut, and ran northeastward to Boston viaPomfret, Connecticut).
In some towns, the area near the Boston Post Road has been placed on theNational Register of Historic Places, since it was often the first road in the area, and some buildings of historical significance were built along it. TheBoston Post Road Historic District, includingpart of the road in Rye, New York, has been designated aNational Historic Landmark. The Post Road is also famous formilestones that date from the 18th century, many of which survive to this day. In parts of Connecticut (generally east of Hartford), it is also known asRoute 6.
The Upper Post Road was originally called thePequot Path and had been in use by Native Americans long before Europeans arrived.[1] Some of these important native trails were in many places as narrow as two feet.[2]
What is now called theOld Connecticut Path and theBay Path were used byJohn Winthrop the Younger to travel from Boston to Springfield in November 1645, and these form much of the basis for the Upper Post Road.
The colonists first used this trail to deliver the mail usingpost riders. The first ride to lay out the Upper Post Road started on January 1, 1673.[3] Later, the newly blazed trail was widened and smoothed to the point where horse-drawn wagons orstagecoaches could use the road. The country's first successful long-distance stagecoach service was launched by Levi Pease along the upper road in October 1783.[4]
During the 19th century,turnpike companies took over and improved pieces of the road. Large sections of the various routes are still called theKing's Highway andBoston Post Road. Much of the Post Road is nowU.S. Route 1,U.S. Route 5, andU.S. Route 20.
Mileposts were measured from the intersection ofBroadway andWall Street in New York (one block west ofFederal Hall) and from the old Boston city-line onWashington Street, near the present-dayMassachusetts Turnpike.
TheMetropolitan Railroad Company was chartered in 1853 to run streetcars down the stretch of the road on Washington Street in Roxbury, which is now served by theMBTA Silver Line. The Upper and Lower Boston Post Roads were designated U.S. Routes 1 and 20 in 1925 (though Route 20 has since been substantially modified).[4]
Much of the route inManhattan, where it was known as the Eastern Post Road, was abandoned between 1839 and 1844, when the currentstreet grid was laid out as part of theCommissioners' Plan that had been originally advanced in 1811.[5] The following sections of the road still exist:
Thesemilestones were once present in Manhattan:
In southwesternWestchester County, nowthe Bronx, the Boston Post Road came off theKings Bridge and quickly turned east, with theAlbany Post Road continuing north toAlbany, New York. It passed over theBronx River on theWilliams Bridge, and left The Bronx on Bussing Avenue, becoming Kingsbridge Road inWestchester County. In more detail, it used the following modern roads:
The Boston Post Road entered what is nowWestchester County on Kingsbridge Road, and turned north on Third Avenue-Columbus Avenue (Route 22), forking off onto Colonial Place. It continued across Sandford Boulevard (Sixth Street) where there is no longer a road, and curved east and southeast around the hill, hitting Sandford Boulevard-Colonial Avenue at theHutchinson River Parkway interchange. It then continued east on Colonial Avenue-Kings Highway, merging withU.S. Route 1. From there to theConnecticut border, the Post Road used US 1, except for several places, where Post Road used the following roads:
TheUpper Post Road was the most traveled of the three routes, being the furthest from the shore and thus having the fewest and shortest river crossings. It was also considered to have the besttaverns, which contributed to its popularity.[citation needed] The Upper Post Road roughly corresponds to the alignment ofU.S. Route 5 fromNew Haven, Connecticut, toHartford;Connecticut Route 159 from Hartford toSpringfield, Massachusetts;U.S. Route 20 from Springfield toWarren, Massachusetts (viaRoute 67);Massachusetts Route 9 from Warren toWorcester; an unnumbered road (Lincoln Street in Worcester, Main Street in Shrewsbury, and West Main Street in Northborough) toNorthborough; andU.S. Route 20 from Northborough to Boston.A series of historic milestones erected in the 18th century survive along its route from Springfield to Boston.
TheLower Post Road hugged the shoreline ofLong Island Sound all the way toRhode Island and then turned north throughProvidence to Boston. It traversed what is now the most densely populated part ofConnecticut, including the state’s three largest cities; as a result, it is the best-known of the routes today. The Lower Post Road roughly corresponds to the original alignment ofU.S. Route 1 in eastern Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.
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InMassachusetts, theNorfolk and Bristol Turnpike was established in 1803 as a straighter route betweenPawtucket, Rhode Island, andRoxbury, Massachusetts, mostly west of the Post Road. It is known asWashington Street in many of the towns it passes through.[2] Due to its avoidance of built-up areas, the southern half of this road was little-used. In addition, another well-used route passed west of this turnpike along currentRoute 1A.
The Post Road entered Massachusetts at the town ofAttleboro's Newport Avenue (Route 1A) through the settlement of South Attleboro. It continued northeast on Newport Avenue alongRoute 123, splitting to the north (staying with Newport Avenue) to cross into North Attleborough.
South of North Attleborough center, the old road is known as Old Post Road. The old road crossed the turnpike (now US 1) just south of the intersection withRoute 120, forming a small curve before merging with the turnpike north of the intersection. This curved alignment is now gone, so traffic must use US 1. Additionally, US 1 leaves the turnpike at theRoute 120 intersection to bypass North Attleborough center on East Washington Street.
The Lower Post Road passed through North Attleborough Center onWashington Street, later used as part of the turnpike. Another short curved alignment still exists to the west of Washington Street north of the center, now called "Park Street". Just north of this, the route crosses theTen Mile River and then enters a complicated five-way intersection with US 1 andRoute 1A. US 1 straight ahead is the old turnpike, and US 1 to the right was built in the 1930s. The Post Road went to the right onto Elmwood Street. The fork to the left onto Route 1A throughPlainville center was an alternate route to Boston.
Elmwood Street enters the town ofPlainville, where it becomes Messenger Street. The road merges withRoute 106 before crossingRoute 152 atWilkins Four Corners and enteringFoxborough.
There is a road passing from the town ofSharon intoEast Walpole which is known as Old Post Road, which continues north as Pleasant Street intoNorwood.[3]
In Norwood, the oldest route of the Post Road followed Neponset Street south until the intersection with Pleasant Street. The newer route followed Washington Street through the center of Norwood, south towards Walpole.
The Post Road turned from East Street onto Washington Street, heading south towards Norwood.
In Dedham, the road followed modern-day Lower East Street north to Boston. Here the Post Road splits, with the oldest route (prior to 1704) following East Street in an arc around the old marshes until it meets Washington Street (Route 1A) south of the Dedham village center.
The new road (in use by 1744) followed High Street to Court Street, and continued south along Highland Street and Elm Street, rejoining East Street south ofInterstate 95.
In Roxbury, the road turned down Roxbury Street and followed modern-day Centre Street around the edge of Fort Hill, crossing Stony Brook at a bridge in the location of the modern-day Jackson Square MBTA station. The road continued following Centre Street southwards through modern-day Hyde Square and Jamaica Plain, and southwards to Dedham.
In the colonial city, the road began at theOld State House, the government center of the 18th-century city. Once called Cornhill, Orange, and Newbury Street, it's now modern-dayWashington Street, running southwards off theBoston Neck towards the village of Roxbury.
TheMiddle Post Road was the shortest, fastest, and youngest portion of the route. From Hartford, it ran into the Eastern Upper Highlands, an area with large native Indian populations. During King Philip's War of 1675, travel in these areas was often dangerous for settlers. It was not until the end of the war and establishment of the Colonial post system that the area began to become populated, and the middle post road was established as the fastest route. This area of the state continues to remain underpopulated in contrast to other portions of Connecticut, and accordingly, portions of the original post road have been preserved due to various circumstances. It split from the Upper Post Road in Hartford, and initially ran roughly along currentU.S. Route 44 through Bolton Notch and towards Mansfield Four Corners. From Mansfield, it went through Ashford, Pomfret, and headed into Massachusetts via the town ofThompson, along Thompson Road. In Massachusetts, the Middle Post Road runs along sections of modernRoute 16 toMendon, then throughBellingham, and then viaRoute 109 fromMedway toDedham where it meets with the Lower Post Road (old U.S. Route 1) heading into Boston.
Starting at the Old State House, the road crossed theConnecticut River over the area that is now occupied by theFounders Bridge, initially by ferry and later by bridge. It is notable that until 1783, Hartford's eastern boundaries included present-day East Hartford and Manchester.
Although the road crossed via the route of the Founders Bridge from Hartford, this area was later developed into an enormous highway interchange, and thus much of the historic road was destroyed. In the early years of Connecticut's history, East Hartford was privately owned. What remains of the route is the path of Interstate 84 / Route 6, which connects to Manchester's Middle Turnpike East.
Since Manchester was a part of Hartford until 1783, the area was made up of settlements and present-day boroughs. The post road can be traced along present-day Middle Turnpike East through central Manchester. It later passed through Manchester Green, where the post road became reconnected with Route 6, and, for the first time,U.S. Route 44. Just before leaving Manchester and entering Bolton, the post road breaks off Route 44 onto Middle Turnpike East (the portion of Route 44 between Manchester and Bolton is known as "New Bolton Road")
Bolton serves a unique role in the post road, as it was the border between the flat and tranquil Connecticut River Valley, and the hilly and turbulent Eastern Upper Highlands. Entering Bolton on Middle Turnpike East, the traveler encountered a fork and could choose to head southeast on Bolton Center Street (later Center Street) to the settlement of Bolton, or stay on Middle Turnpike East to reconnect with Route 44 and head east on the original Mohegan Indian Trail through Bolton Notch, a natural depression in the ridge that dramatically sped up transit and served as a demarcation between the two geologic landscapes. Within the Bolton settlement was White's Tavern, notable for having housed the staff ofGeneral Rochambeau, whose unit camped in the settlement during the revolutionary war. To exit Bolton, one heads north on Notch Road until reaching Route 44, just outside Bolton Notch. Route 44 then connects to Coventry.
Between Bolton and Mansfield, the road passed through the borough of North Coventry, entirely along present-dayU.S. Route 44, known locally as the Boston Turnpike. Along theWillimantic River (and border of Mansfield) stands the Brigham Tavern, which holds the distinction of having housed George Washington around the period of the Revolutionary War. This plaque can be seen in front of the Brigham Tavern; it is currently a private residence.
Like Coventry, the post road follows the path of present-day U.S. Route 44. After crossing the Willimantic River from Coventry, the road crosses through Mansfield Four Corners, and towards Ashford.
The road connects on Route 44 from Mansfield, and runs directly through the borough of Ashford. It stops, however, atPhoenixville, which then heads north towards Eastford on Route 198. Before reaching Eastford, however, it takes a right onto Route 244 ("Brayman Hollow Road") which headed directly to Pomfret.
At the center of Pomfret, Route 244 headed east turns into U.S. Route 44. The post road turns left shortly after the intersection with Route 169 onto Allen Road which quickly merges into Freedley Road. The road then heads northeast into Woodstock.
The post road briefly passes through the Harrisville section of town on Tripp Road before entering Putnam.
Soon after entering Putnam, the road crosses over Route 171 onto West Thompson Road headed into Thompson.
The post road soon follows over West Thompson Dam. The road once passed through the village of West Thompson, which was flooded purposely to control the Quinebaug River. The original post road can be seen from the Dam when water levels in West Thompson Lake are low enough. Once over the Dam the road turns into Route 193 and travels through historic Thompson Hill. Continuing northeast, the road bears right at a fork onto East Thompson Road and follows all the way to the Massachusetts state line.
Crosses the Massachusetts state line into the town of Douglas as Southwest Main Street. This section passes through Douglas State Forest and is one of the most remote parts of the route that is still used as a public road. A 1-mile (1.6 km) section here was still unpaved until 2002. At the center of Douglas, the Post Road followsMassachusetts Route 16 eastward to East Douglas. Where Route 16 turns south, the Post Road continues east as Northeast Main Street, which leads to the Uxbridge town line. French General Lafayette traveled this road to join forces with Washington, and stopped in Douglas during the Revolutionary War.
Entering Uxbridge, the name of the road changes to Hartford Avenue. Hartford Avenue is a major cross-town road and follows the route of the Post Road for its entire length. From the Douglas town line to the intersection ofMassachusetts Route 122, it is known as Hartford Avenue West; from Route 122 to the Mendon town line, it is known as Hartford Avenue East. The original stone arch bridge over theBlackstone Canal is still in use today. There was aCivil War encampment near the stone-arch bridge, and the road was used by troops during theFrench and Indian Wars and as a supply route during theWar of 1812.George Washington stopped here a number of times when traveling this road, including when he took command of theContinental Army atBoston in 1775, and on his post-Inaugural tour ofNew England in 1789.
The Post Road enters the town from Uxbridge as Hartford Avenue West. It follows that road to Route 16, which follows the route of the Post Road for approximately one-half-mile eastward to Maple Street, which follows the route into Mendon town center. From there, the Post Road followed a Providence-Worcester post road south out of the village. This section is now part of Providence Street. About 1-mile (1.6 km) south of the town center the roads diverged. The Post Road heads east, now known as Hartford Avenue East. This road follows the original Post Road route to the Bellingham town line. Historic milestone 37 is still located along the route.[4]
The Post Road enters from Mendon as Hartford Avenue.Massachusetts Route 126 joins the road shortly before crossing overInterstate 495. Route 126 follows the Post Road route the remainder of the way to the Medway town line.
The original Post Road from Mendon followed Village Street through Medway to the Tavern and Inn in Medway Village near the Charles River. The post road followed (present day) Village Street through Millis (part of Medway until 1885). In the early 19th century, the Hartford and Dedham Turnpike was built (now Rt 109), a straight route built through the Great Black Swamp, and up a large hill in the center of town.
The original Post Road in Millis followed Village St from Medway, crossing current Massachusetts Rt 109, and then following the current Dover Road to the location of a series of Bridges over the Charles River leading into Medfield. In the period from 1806 to 1810, the Hartford and Dedham Turnpike was built (now Route 109), nearly going broke in attempting to build a causeway over the Charles River at the Medfield town line and through the Great Black Swamp.
The upper post road (US 20) also runs through Weston, and links directly toThe Gifford School
Notes
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