The Accidental Highway

© jan albers | all rights reserved

Leesville, New York

Leesville, New York, was one of the most western posts on the First Great Western Turnpike, built as a toll road from Albany, the state capital, to the frontier town of Cherry Valley in the late 18th century. Commerce didn’t come cheap – drivers (of a different sort) paid 3 cents per dozen to move their sheep and swine along the road. No tolls were collected from people going to or returning from church or the grist mill, or from those who were on military duty or on journeys within the town where the tollgate was located.

Tags: New York, photography, road trip, roads, Route 20, US history

This entry was posted on August 8, 2011 at 10:17 pm and is filed under New York. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.