The First Plank Road in the U.S. - Syracuse, New York
Posted by: 
PTCrazy
N 43° 08.282 W 076° 07.801
18T E 408100 N 4776763
This plank road which was completed in 1846, ran from Syracuse to Central Square, covering 16.5 miles. It was the first plank road in the United States, copying the design of plank roads already in existence in Canada.
Waymark Code: WM3ZG3
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 06/11/2008
Views: 46
Proudly claiming the honor of being the first plank road in the United States, this road ran a total of 16.5 miles from Syracuse to Central Square. It was planked the entire distance on one side, while the other side was left as dirt, mud or stone. The plank road was completed on July 18, 1846, including 4 toll houses, each one about 4 miles apart, charging 1 cent per head of cattle, 5 cents per horse and 25 cents for each horse and wagon. Several citizens of North Syracuse banded together and formed the Plank Road Historical Society in order to preserve the remnants of this historic road. Some of the original planks, along with the North Syracuse toll house, a wagon and some early farm equipment from that era, can all be seen at the Plank Road Historical Society Park. The park is located right on Route 11, only a few hundred feet from where the tollhouse used to collect its tolls over 100 years ago.
Type: Plank Road
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