Braddock's Road

Historical Braddock's Road
This road, originally called the Nemacolin Trail, and named after a Lenape Indian who first blazed this trail in 1752, was the first road to cross overland through the Appalachian Mountains. Just 3 years later, Major General Edward Braddock was given orders by the British government to widen the road which was becoming overgrown and covered with foliage. The road was used very little during the Revolutionary War. Braddock took 600 soldiers to work the old road; the road needed to be wide enough to accommodate wagons and animals, as well as the siege artillery that they brought along to use against Fort Duquesne. In 1755 they set out from Fort Cumberland through Maryland to Fort Duquesne. The General’s axe men cut a 12-foot road through the trees. The road went through Maryland and Pennsylvania to the Potomac River at Cumberland, Maryland, with the Monongahela River at Turtle Creek which is now Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Settlers and Records
There are no records of the settlers who lived by the Braddcock Road. Most of the settlers moved from the northeast to southwest around major ports. Local county histories may reveal many of the pioneer settlers arrived from places to the northeast.

Route
The Braddock Road starts at the junction of Wills Creek by the Potomac River, through Cumberland, Maryland. You travel through mountain peaks and endless Forests until you reach Ohio.

Websites
Braddock's Road Preservation Association