Download or read book The Old Pike written by Thomas Brownfield Searight and published by . This book was released on 1894 with total page 594 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A history of the National, or Cumberland, Road, opened in 1818 and extending from Cumberland, Maryland to Illinois. The National road was the conduit for the bulk of trade, travel and mail between East and West until the coming of the railroads west of the Allegheny Mountains in 1852. This account covers many aspects of life on the road and names many of the people involved with its building, as well as the people who made their living from it.