Roads

Roads. . , To accommodate packhorses and later wagon traffic, Indian trails were often widened , although they were still narrow, rugged and rutted, If a route was popular, property owners or local government might improve it. If the work was privately undertaken, it would often become a toll road. Logs, planks, or stones were laid on the surface to make it more passable. When a road needed to cross a stream, people erected a bridge from the cheapest available material , wood. They roofed it to preserve the wooden elements. Covered bridges are rare today., The History of Transportation at Fort Hunter , Because the river and the mountain create a corridor, travelers have always passed through Fort Hunter. Etched on these lands is the history of transportation in the United States., [Captions:] , The portion of Front Street running through Fort Hunter was once a private road maintained by the owners of Fort Hunter. Tollhouses were located north and south of Fort Hunter., Fort Hunter's covered bridge was built about 1881. The carriage collection at Fort hunter is from the same era. This photo was for publicity purposes and shows the bridge as rebuilt in 1941 on the front lawn of the Mansion with caretaker John Fritz and horse Dolly., This old stone arch bridge still exists nearby and carries Front Street over Fishing Creek., Photos of people and carriages from the Fort Hunter Collection