The Old Plank Roads
They formed on inf erc»*ling link in fhe
progress of frans|H>rlaf ion in !4orth Caro¬
lina during the niilo-holluni period and
неге
the forerunner of our present good-
roads system in file state.
IN iintc-bollum days Norlli Carolina
was regarded with scorn by her
ncighltnr*. Because of her lack of
progress and enterprise she was ealle<l
tin* "Hip Van Winkle of the South."
In spite of her size nn«l population —
in 1833 she ranked fifth in the nation
in both — she had less commerce and
fewer important towns than any of
the neighboring states.
This unfortunate condition was not
due to any native defects in the ener¬
gies, intelligence or character of
her citizens; it was largely a matter
of geography. In -pile of the extensive
const-line, the only really good harbor
was that of Wilmington, and this was
readily accessible to only a compara¬
tively small portion of the state. The
various sections of North Carolina
were more isolated from each other
than from adjoining states. In the
far west, trade flowed more readily
toward Tennessee than across the
rugged barrier of the Blue Ridge,
while much of the Piedmont traffic
followed the river valleys to Columbia
and Charleston. Richmond, Peters¬
burg ami Norfolk were trading centers
for the Tar Heel territory adjoining
the Virginia line.
In consequence of these conditions,
sectional prejudice was rampant. It
wns impossible to secure any unified
action by the legislature to improve
conditions. The citizens of the day
had a deadly fear of any increase in
taxes, too; indeed, they wore opposed
to change of any kind.
From an early date there were a few
far-sighted public men who saw the
need of improved means of transporta¬
tion. In 1812 Archibald I>. Mnrphey
proposed a complete transportation
system for the entire state, comprising
l>oth canals and turnpikes. About
all the (Jonor«l Assembly could be
persuaded to do. though, was to pro¬
vide an occasional miserly sum for
river improvement.
In the '30'* the railroad fever struck
the state. For the first time public
sentiment wns aroused to the extent
By FIHait AIIMtNETIIY
that the legislature actually wns will¬
ing to spend large sums of money in
internal improvements.
The first road actually constructed
in the state was the Raleigh Kxperi-
uientnl Railroad, a little line only a
mile and a half long, built in 1834
for the pur|M>*c of transporting stone
from the quarry for the rebuilding of
the capitol. which had burned three
years previously. It turned out to be
such a success that it stimulated the
growing interest in railroads.
The first real railroad to he char¬
tered by the state was the Wilmington
and Raleigh line, which received its
charter in 18:14. When completed in
1840 this line was lfllVfc miles long,
and was said to bo the longest in the
world at the time. The same elniin
was made for the 223-mile North
Carolina Railroad line between
Goldsboro and Charlotte when it was
completed in 1856.
By 1S6I, 8S9 miles of railroad had
been built within the state, construct¬
ed at n total cost of 816,709.793. a
large portion of this sum having been
provided by the state. The benefits
of this system were immediately ap¬
parent, but the trouble was that many
sections of the state were not reached
by the lines. Citizens of those sections
still had to depend upon the crude
roads of the day for transportation.
The highway system of ante-bellum
days wns of n highly primitive type.
The roads were maintained by the
citizens, under the supervision of over¬
seers appointed by the county courts.
All white inales between the ages of
18 and 45, and all Negro inales, both
free and slave, between the ages of
16 and CO were subject to service.
Wealthy individual, usually substi¬
tute.! slave labor for their personal
service, or paid the fine of one dnlbr
a day imposed for failure to work.
The roads produced by this system
were just about what you'd expect.
They were almost impassible in wet
weather. Stage coaches mired at fre¬
quent intervals, forcing pn.scngcrs to
alight Until the vehicle could
!«•
freed.
In 1849 Gov. Swain -pent three dnvs
and a half travelling by conch Mween
Charlotte and Goldsboro, a distance
of 210 miles.
Ferries and bridges were provided
very reluctantly only where a stream
could not be forded, and were often
in worse shape than the roads. In
1800 a wagon loaded with two hogs¬
heads of tobacco fell through the
bridge over the Neusc at Kinston,
drowning the driver and three horses.
The accident was due entirely to the
condition of the bridge floor.
There were a few turnpikes; toll
roads operated by private companies,
which were much better than the pub¬
lic: highways. The plank roads of the
50’s were extensions of the toll road
system.
The plank road wns a Russian in¬
vention. In 1834 an experimental
road of this type wns built in Canada,
and within a few years a veritable
epidemic of plank roads swept the
United States.
In the years between 1849 and I860.
SI plank road companies were organ¬
ize! in North Carolina, with a total
authorized capital stock of 85,807,500.
Not all of this was ever paid in, so
not all the projected roads were ever
built.
Since in those days there was still
literally timber to burn, it’s not sur¬
prising that the plank road made such
rapid progress. Advocates of the idea
made glowing claims for the "Farm¬
ers’ Railroads,” as they were called.
They could be constructed cheaply.
Loads could be doubled, while speed
was increased. Travellers would be
made independent of the weather.
While the greatest benefits would
accrue to the farmer, all cImsm would
profit.
The average road cost around
81,500 per mile. After being surveyed,
graded, and given sufficient time to
settle, parallel sills of pine were placed
end to end, lengthwise. The planks
