Early Road

TL;DR -- Right outside of Washington, D.C., is a lot of history. We like to pay attention to trails (becoming roads) and to rivers. An important road is on the VA side. Last year we mentioned that Gen. Braddock used it to get out west during the conflict that trained the US forces under the auspices of the Crown. 

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This is a quick post to be filled in later. Last year, we looked at Gen Braddock and how he came through Northern Virginia up to northern New York during the Indian-French affair. Also, we looked at details of the earlier period. We like to consider the influence of roads and rivers (both a boon and a barrier) on the expansion of what became the U.S. of 250 years.  

The post emphasized the pre-1776 timeframe:

• Lord Fairfax -- the focus was the Lord as owner. We mentioned Braddock since the beginning of his jaunt has been Alexandria VA which was about half-way to Mount Vernon of the Washingtons. Remember, this was of the earlier conflict where the colonials learned their military tactics under the auspices of the King's Crown.  

See Siege of Boston, about the colonials in 1775/6 not being a unruly crowd. 

Back to roads. The Vestal's Gap road was an animal trail and then used by the Native Americans and later by the colonials. Now, it consists of highways and even Interstate sections going from the Potomac port at Alexandria up over the mountains. 

Early in the 20th Century, Claude Moore bought land in Northern VA and worked to honor the colonial heritage through preservation.  

• Vestal's Gap Road - By the late 1720s, the trail had been travelled enough to become a road. It eventually led to a gap in the Blue Ridge mountains, where an enterprising businessman named John Vestal operated a ferry crossing the Shenandoah River. A young George Washington used the road to travel to Winchester and points west, where he surveyed the Fairfax propriety for Lord Fairfax.

Lanesville Historic District

We have said that the 250th this year was of a conflict started earlier (even before 1775). So, on July 4th of 2026, remember please that the conflicts went on until 1783. 

Remarks: Modified: 06/26/2026

06/26/2026 --