Less Connectivity, More Self-Reliance

In 1896, life in rural America was isolated.  Trips to the store or to pick up or send mail were rarely made more than once a week.  Stafford County roads were in a constant state of disrepair.  Long before the first automobile arrived in Virginia in 1899, Stafford’s dirt roads could be treacherous for horse drawn carriages and wagons.  

Today, many of Stafford County’s roads still follow the paths of 18th and 19th century roadways and bear their names (Garrisonville Road, Wide Water Road, Warrenton Road, Courthouse Road, Brooke Road etc.)  Wherever possible, roads followed ridgelines where rainfall drained away allowing them to dry out and return to use more quickly. 19th century roadways frequently had curves and switchbacks to allow horse-drawn wagons and carriages to utilize more gentile terrain. 

From the early colonial period, road maintenance was the responsibility of each county government.  The magistrates of each county appointed overseers of the road (sometimes also called surveyors of the road) who were paid a small sum for keeping open 1 to 3 miles of road in their neighborhoods.  The overseer of the road was authorized to engage local men to drain and fill mud holes and to clear fallen trees.

Southern good roads, Henry Varner, 1910

Heading Home from Town

Sounds of Stafford

In the News

The Free Lance, August 18, 1900

Voices from the Past

“All roads were horrible.  Either once a week or once a month – I forgot which – every man, farmer, or other, was required to send all his force out to mend the roads.  That was all that was ever done for them.  But the roads leading to the residences were left to take care of themselves.  I remember once when the horse attached to the buggy went almost out of sight between the shafts.  Still, we thought it a great pleasure to take a drive, and everyone was very happy and content.”

Fanny Moncure Nelson Lyon, Foundation Stones of Stafford County

Primary source for Stafford 1896: “Land of Herrings and Persimmons, People and Places of Upper Stafford County, Virginia,” Jerrilynn Eby MacGregor, Heritage Books, 2015

Discussion Topics

How would your life would be different if there were no paved roads or automobiles?

How would you get to school or see your friends?

Would it change where your family decided to live and work?

What are some pros and cons of living in a less-transportation dependent time?