Old Roebuck Road

United States Migration  Trails and Roads  Massachusetts 

Did an ancestor travel the Old Roebuck Road of Massachusetts and Rhode Island? Learn about this settler migration route, its transportation history, and find related genealogy sources.

Historical Background
The history of Cobb's Tavern reflects on the history of the Old Roebuck Road. Cobb's Tavern is about half way between Boston and Providence, about a day's travel from each. The land which eventually held the Cobb's Tavern in Easton was first purchased in 1725 by the Hixon brothers. Later, Elizah Fisher purchased the land in 1797. Fisher operated a tavern there. He sold out, and Jonathan Cobb significantly expanded the tavern as traffic along the Old Roebuck Road improved about 1800. In 1819 he was appointed postmaster, and the role of the building as post office continued until at least 1895.

Route
This trail went from the Massachusetts Bay to Narragansett Bay, or from Boston, Massachusetts to Providence, Rhode Island. It passed through Dedham, East Walpole, Foxboro, North Attleboro and Pawtucket to Providence Rhode Island.


 * Walking the Post Road

Connecting Routes Over time the Old Roebuck Road connected with half a dozen other migration routes out of Boston:


 * Bay Road connects Boston (Massachusetts Bay) to New Bedford (Buzzards Bay).
 * Coast Path follows an ancient Indian path near the shoreline from Boston to Plymouth.
 * Kennebunk Road links Boston along the New England coast to Augusta, Maine.
 * King's Highway also known as the Boston Post Road goes from Boston, Massachusetts to New York City, and south to Charleston, South Carolina with extensions on each end. In Massachusetts and Connecticut there were at least three competing routes for the Boston Post Road. Parts were laid out 1650 to 1735; its length remained in heavy use through 1783, and some parts are used to this day.
 * Mohawk or Iroquois Trail This trail was established in 1722 from Albany to Utica to Rome to Fort Oswego on Lake Ontario. The Boston to Albany side of that route probably preceded the Albany to Oswego route by many years.
 * Old Connecticut Path a pre-historic Indian path from Boston, Massachusetts to the Connecticut River Valley at Springfield, Massachusetts and south to Hartford, Connecticut.