“P” is for Plank Roads. Plank roads enjoyed a brief popularity in the early 1850s, touted as an inexpensive means of improving short distance travel. Thick planks were laid across wood stringers in a roadbed, creating a level, smooth surface for wagons and other road. traffic. Russia was the first country to construct plank roads. Soon there were plank roads in Canada and New York. In 1853 the General Assembly chartered some ten plank-road companies. The longest, the Edgefield and Hamburg plank road, extended twenty-six miles. Despite the initial promise, the plank road mania quickly subsided. They were expensive to build and even more costly to maintain, requiring constant maintenance to replace worn planks. Plank road companies soon found themselves deeply in debt, and most were out of business by the start of the Civil War.
“P” is for Plank Roads
