Historical Markers StoppingPoints.com Historical Markers, Sightseeing & Points of Interest Scenic Roads & Points of Interest
About Us | Photo Gallery | Free Widgets | Featured States | Search Site
Register or Edit LoginRegister
Home Virginia Mecklenburg County Boydton and Petersburg Plank Road

Boydton and Petersburg Plank Road

Highway Fifty-eight, VA , USA

Latitude & Longitude: 36° 39' 45.84834", -78° 24' 22.521348"
  Virginia VA State Historical Marker
Virginia State
Historical Marker

 
The Boydton and Petersburg Plank Road was built between 1851 and 1853 and was funded by stock bought by the state as well as the public. The all-weather toll road increased the transportation of crops to market and also carried stagecoach traffic between Boydton and Petersburg. The road was constructed of pine and oak planks eight feet long, one foot wide, and three to four inches thick laid across parallel beams, slanted slightly to improve drainage. A ten-foot-wide shoulder let vehicles pass each other. By 1860 the road, except for an 1856 extension to Clarksville, was declared unsafe, due to heavy wear, poorly suited untreated lumber, and the collapse of the Meherrin River Bridge.

Last updated: 2/14/2015 15:17:00
 
   
 
 
Boydton and Petersburg Plank Road Virginia Map