Candlestick #4, Garret County:

The National Road was the first major highway in the United States built by the federal government. Initially, the federal government covered all the costs of the construction and maintenance of the road but, in 1835, Maryland assumed control of the portion within the state.

Toll houses were constructed along the National Road, spaced about 28 miles apart, with rates based on how much damage a vehicle or animal would do to the road. Some of these rates established in 1832 are listed below:

Every score of sheep or hogs, 6 cents
Every score of cattle, 11 cents
Every horse & rider, 4 cents
Every cart or wagon—wheels 2 1/2 inches to 4 inches in breadth, 4 cents for every horse or pair of oxen drawing same
Every cart or wagon—wheels 4 to 6 inches in breadth, 3 cents as above
Every cart or wagon—wheels 6 to 8 inches in breadth, 2 cents as above
Every cart or wagon—wheels more than 8 inches, no charge

Before the rise of automobiles as a means of transportation, water troughs were essential amenities that provided free water to travelers' horses along the National Road. One of the more famous water troughs on the National Road was The “Big Water Trough” in Laurel Hill, Maryland. The trough was supplied by a natural spring and maintained by Willam Downard.