Little River Turnpike

the Little River Turnpike connected Alexandria to the Blue Bridge at Aldie
Source: Library of Congress, Map of n. eastern Virginia and vicinity of Washington (Irvin McDowell, 1862)

Getting west from Alexandria to Winchester in the 1750's at the start of the French and Indian War was difficult. General Braddock chose to take his troops across the Potomac River and march through Maryland, since the roads to Frederick and Cumberland were better there.

Braddock built "Braddock's Road" west of Cumberland. His troops did not construct a "Braddock's Road" through the Virginia countryside to the Blue Ridge. Until the start of the 19th Century, farmers struggled to carry crops by wagon on dirt paths to Alexandria. Prices for crops were higher there because of the increased demand at the port city, but transportation costs were also high and the trip required valuable time.

After the American Revolution, merchants and landowners in Northern Virginia recognized the economic benefits from improving the transportation network connecting Alexandria to the backcountry. However, the first attempt to raise private capital to build a new road west of Alexandria ended in failure. The Fairfax and Loudoun Turnpike Road Company was authorized to raise money in 1795, but the corporation was reorganized in 1801 as the Little River Turnpike Company.¹

The Transportation Network of Alexandria

Turnpikes of Virginia

Links

• National Park Service
• The Braddock Pathway

References