Scarce large map of a portion of the Eastern United States, illustrating several options for a National Road from Washington DC to Lake Ontario.
The map is the second of two maps to cover this route, the first issued in 1827 and covering a slightly different area.
This map comes from the 1827 House of Representatives report, Road from Washington to Buffalo per Phillips p.884, and is from the Government Printing Office. It covers an area from Washington north to the Pennsylvania-New York border and on to Lake Ontario.
The National Road west (called the Cumberland Road and not shown on this map) was proposed in an 1806 Act of Congress. It was planned as a way to tie the states being created from the old Northwest Territory, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, into the east. In 1822 a bill for repair of the road and authority to collect tolls passed the Congress, but was vetoed by President Monroe. He held that Congress did not have the right of jurisdiction and construction, but Monroe also recommended a national system of internal improvements. A number of alternatives were examined for additional 'National Roads', including a route up the Susquehanna River valley shown on this map. However only the Old National Road, today's US 40, was constructed by the Federal government during the 19th century.
While the map appears occasionally on the market, the top sheet is typically not present.
A.J. Stansbury was the father of Howard Stansbury, noted western explorer and cartographer.