Roads paved in History

The first European settlers came to the valley around 1730, attracted by its abundant resources. In the ensuing years, more settlers moved to the area, traveling down the “Valley Road” from Pennsylvania or across South Mountain from Baltimore.

After the French and Indian War, iron forges were established, mills were built, and farming increased as more of the forest was cleared. In 1776, soon after Maryland became a state, Washington County was established. It was named after George Washington, Commander in Chief of the new continental army. Hagerstown, founded in 1762 by Jonathan Hager, an officer in the Colonial Militia, expanded rapidly before becoming the seat of the new county and soon developed into the hub of commerce for the valley.

After the opening of the National Road in 1822, a surfaces highway extending inland to the Ohio Valley, Hagerstown and the towns along the turnpike grew and prospered, providing services to travelers and shipping points for local products. Following the Civil War, the city flourished as a railroad junction and manufacturing center. By the turn of the century, a wide range of products from automobiles to beer to bicycles were being shipped to all parts of the country. In July 1889, the League of American Wheelmen held their rally in Hagerstown (pictured top right). Today, though the products have changed with the times, the manufacturing tradition lives on.