Land Acquisition and the National Road

Searching the War Department digital archive, 914 documents appear with the keyword search “land rights”.  The documents detail the acquisition of the western territories that bordered Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New York.  The Cumberland valley and mountains proved to be a hotbed for hostilities between American Indian tribes and white settlers over land rights and use.  The U.S. government pressed forward and westward expending resources and lives to obtain land rights to territory held by Creek, Cussetah, Chocktaw, and Cherokee Nations.

Through the Treaty of New York, Treaty of Galphinton, and the Treaty of Greeneville (among others) the U.S. acquired large parcels of land and began infrastructure developments to assist in travel and transportation from the East Coast to the frontier settlements.  One such accomplishment was the establishment of the National Road which was overseen and constructed by the War Department.

Beginning in the Cumberland territory, the National Road was proposed to run from Maryland to the Ohio River.  Completed in the early 1800’s, the marking of the road took place under the direction of Captain Sparks in the late 1700’s.    More information on the development of this road and existing structures, such as the Casselman Bridge, can be found through the National Parks Service.