Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike

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The Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike, first used in 1795, was the first long-distance, paved road built in the United States according to engineered plans and specifications.^[1] It linked the cities of Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Philadelphia, stretching for sixty-two miles.^[2] It was the first turnpike of importance, and because the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania could not afford to pay for its construction, it was privately built by the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike Road Company.^[3] It was designed by John Loudon MacAdam, from Scotland, and ground was broken for the project in 1792. ^[4] The road sparked a national improvement of road conditions after the Revolution, and stimulated economic recovery. By the 1840's, the use of railroads and canals dealt a serious blow to the companies who specialized in the manufacture of wagons and coaches. During the next fifty years, the road suffered from lack of use and maintenance, but later saw recovery with the invention of the automobile.

In 1876, the parallel Pennsylvania Railroad bought the turnpike from 52nd Street in Philadelphia west to Paoli for $20,000 to prevent competing streetcar companies from building along it. In 1913, the turnpike became part of the transcontinental Lincoln Highway, and tolls continued to be collected until 1917, when the State Highway Department bought it for $165,000.^[5] In 1926 it was designated as part of U.S. Route 30. In Philadelphia, it is known as Lancaster Avenue, and in the suburbs, it is also dubbed Lancaster Avenue but also as Lancaster Pike in Chester County.^[6]