Boston Post Road


The Boston Post Road was a system of mail-delivery routes between New York City and Boston, Massachusetts, that evolved into one of the first major highways in the United States.
The three major alignments were the Lower Post Road, the Upper Post Road, and the Middle Post Road.
In some towns, the area near the Boston Post Road has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places, since it was often the first road in the area, and some buildings of historical significance were built along it. The Boston Post Road Historic District, including part of the road in Rye, New York, has been designated a National Historic Landmark. The Post Road is also famous for milestones that date from the 18th century, many of which survive to this day. In parts of Connecticut, it is also known as Route 6.

History

The Upper Post Road was originally called the Pequot Path and had been in use by Native Americans long before Europeans arrived. Some of these important native trails were in many places as narrow as two feet.
What is now called the Old Connecticut Path and the Bay Path were used by John Winthrop the Younger to travel from Boston to Springfield in November 1645, and these form much of the basis for the Upper Post Road.
The colonists first used this trail to deliver the mail using post riders. The first ride to lay out the Upper Post Road started on January 1, 1673. Later, the newly blazed trail was widened and smoothed to the point where horse-drawn wagons or stagecoaches could use the road. The country's first successful long-distance stagecoach service was launched by Levi Pease along the upper road in October 1783.
During the 19th century, turnpike companies took over and improved pieces of the road. Large sections of the various routes are still called the King's Highway and Boston Post Road. Much of the Post Road is now U.S. Route 1, U.S. Route 5, and U.S. Route 20.
Mileposts were measured from the intersection of Broadway and Wall Street in New York and from the old Boston city-line on Washington Street, near the present-day Massachusetts Turnpike.
The Metropolitan Railroad Company was chartered in 1853 to run streetcars down the stretch of the road on Washington Street in Roxbury, which is now served by the MBTA Silver Line. The Upper and Lower Boston Post Roads were designated U.S. Routes 1 and 20 in 1925.

New York

Manhattan

Much of the route in Manhattan, where it was known as the Eastern Post Road, was abandoned between 1839 and 1844, when the current street grid was laid out as part of the Commissioners' Plan that had been originally advanced in 1811. The following sections of the road still exist:
These milestones were once present in Manhattan:
In southwestern Westchester County, now the Bronx, the Boston Post Road came off the Kings Bridge and quickly turned east, with the Albany Post Road continuing north to Albany, New York. It passed over the Bronx River on the Williams Bridge, and left The Bronx on Bussing Avenue, becoming Kingsbridge Road in Westchester County. In more detail, it used the following modern roads:
Image:Boston Rd Suburban La jeh.JPG|thumb|East and north towards West Farms Square
The Boston Post Road entered what is now Westchester County on Kingsbridge Road, and turned north on Third Avenue-Columbus Avenue, forking off onto Colonial Place. It continued across Sandford Boulevard where there is no longer a road, and curved east and southeast around the hill, hitting Sandford Boulevard-Colonial Avenue at the Hutchinson River Parkway interchange. It then continued east on Colonial Avenue-Kings Highway, merging with U.S. Route 1. From there to the Connecticut border, the Post Road used US 1, except for several places, where Post Road used the following roads:
  • The southbound side of US 1-Huguenot Street through downtown New Rochelle.
  • Old Boston Post Road north of downtown New Rochelle.
  • Old Post Road-Orienta Avenue south of downtown Mamaroneck.
  • Mamaroneck Avenue-Prospect Avenue-Tompkins Avenue north of downtown Mamaroneck.
  • Old Post Road at Playland Parkway in Rye.

    Upper Post Road

The Upper Post Road was the most traveled of the three routes, being the furthest from the shore and thus having the fewest and shortest river crossings. It was also considered to have the best taverns, which contributed to its popularity. The Upper Post Road roughly corresponds to the alignment of U.S. Route 5 from New Haven, Connecticut, to Hartford; Connecticut Route 159 from Hartford to Springfield, Massachusetts; U.S. Route 20 from Springfield to Warren, Massachusetts ; Massachusetts Route 9 from Warren to Worcester; an unnumbered road to Northborough; and U.S. Route 20 from Northborough to Boston. A series of historic milestones erected in the 18th century survive along its route from Springfield to Boston.

Connecticut

Massachusetts

Lower Post Road

The Lower Post Road hugged the shoreline of Long Island Sound all the way to Rhode Island and then turned north through Providence to Boston. It traversed what is now the most densely populated part of Connecticut, including the state’s three largest cities; as a result, it is the best-known of the routes today. The Lower Post Road roughly corresponds to the original alignment of U.S. Route 1 in eastern Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.

Connecticut

;Greenwich
;Stamford
;Norwalk
;Darien
;Westport
;Fairfield
;Bridgeport
;Stratford
;Milford
;Orange
;West Haven
;New Haven
;Old Saybrook
;New London

Rhode Island

Massachusetts

In Massachusetts, the Norfolk and Bristol Turnpike was established in 1803 as a straighter route between Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and Roxbury, Massachusetts, mostly west of the Post Road. It is known as Washington Street in many of the towns it passes through. Due to its avoidance of built-up areas, the southern half of this road was little-used. In addition, another well-used route passed west of this turnpike along current Route 1A.
;South Attleboro
The Post Road entered Massachusetts at the town of Attleboro's Newport Avenue through the settlement of South Attleboro. It continued northeast on Newport Avenue along Route 123, splitting to the north to cross into North Attleborough.
;North Attleborough
South of North Attleborough center, the old road is known as Old Post Road. The old road crossed the turnpike just south of the intersection with Route 120, forming a small curve before merging with the turnpike north of the intersection. This curved alignment is now gone, so traffic must use US 1. Additionally, US 1 leaves the turnpike at the Route 120 intersection to bypass North Attleborough center on East Washington Street.
The Lower Post Road passed through North Attleborough Center on Washington Street, later used as part of the turnpike. Another short curved alignment still exists to the west of Washington Street north of the center, now called "Park Street". Just north of this, the route crosses the Ten Mile River and then enters a complicated five-way intersection with US 1 and Route 1A. US 1 straight ahead is the old turnpike, and US 1 to the right was built in the 1930s. The Post Road went to the right onto Elmwood Street. The fork to the left onto Route 1A through Plainville center was an alternate route to Boston.
Elmwood Street enters the town of Plainville, where it becomes Messenger Street. The road merges with Route 106 before crossing Route 152 at Wilkins Four Corners and entering Foxborough.
;Sharon
There is a road passing from the town of Sharon into East Walpole which is known as Old Post Road, which continues north as Pleasant Street into Norwood.
;East Walpole
;Norwood
In Norwood, the oldest route of the Post Road followed Neponset Street south until the intersection with Pleasant Street. The newer route followed Washington Street through the center of Norwood, south towards Walpole.
;Islington
The Post Road turned from East Street onto Washington Street, heading south towards Norwood.
;Dedham
In Dedham, the road followed modern-day Lower East Street north to Boston. Here the Post Road splits, with the oldest route following East Street in an arc around the old marshes until it meets Washington Street south of the Dedham village center.
The new road followed High Street to Court Street, and continued south along Highland Street and Elm Street, rejoining East Street south of Interstate 95.
;Roxbury
In Roxbury, the road turned down Roxbury Street and followed modern-day Centre Street around the edge of Fort Hill, crossing Stony Brook at a bridge in the location of the modern-day Jackson Square MBTA station. The road continued following Centre Street southwards through modern-day Hyde Square and Jamaica Plain, and southwards to Dedham.
;Boston
In the colonial city, the road began at the Old State House, the government center of the 18th-century city. Once called Cornhill, Orange, and Newbury Street, it's now modern-day Washington Street, running southwards off the Boston Neck towards the village of Roxbury.