King's Highway

United States   Migration    Trails and Roads    King's Highway

The King's Highway, also called in various parts the "Boston Post Road," "Great Coastal Road," or "Potomoc Trail" was an important Colonial American route for settlers along the Atlantic coast. In 1664 British King Charles II requested a road from Boston to New York City, newly conquered from the Dutch. However, the sea route was relatively easier and safer. So as late as 1704 even finding the lightly traveled postal road was difficult. By 1750, weather permitting, wagons and stage coaches traversed a continuous road from Boston, Massachusetts, to Charleston, South Carolina. From Boston to Charleston was about 1,300 miles (2,092 km).

Historical Background
Regular stage coach schedules between Boston and New York City were not available until the 1740s. Before that, a traveler on horseback would have a difficult time. Several nearly parallel routes eventually developed favoring different towns. The route included several possible ferry paths off Manhattan Island. Prior to 1745 travelers from Philadelphia more often used boats to New Castle, Delaware. By 1775 the highway stretched from Maine to Georgia and became one of the unifying factors of the American Revolution. The name "King's Highway" fell into disvavor because of the war, but troops on both sides often used it. Parts of the highway in the Williamsburg-Yorktown area of Virginia were virtually abandoned after the Revolution.).

Route
(Northeast to Southwest)


 * Portland, Maine (in later years)
 * Portsmouth, New Hampshire (in later years)
 * Boston, Massachusetts
 * Providence, Rhode Island
 * New Haven, Connecticut
 * New York City, New York
 * Newark, New Jersey
 * Trenton, New Jersey
 * Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
 * Wilmington, Delaware
 * Baltimore, Maryland
 * Annapolis, Maryland
 * Alexandria, Virginia
 * Fredericksburg, Virginia
 * Williamsburg, Virginia
 * Norfolk, Virginia
 * New Bern, North Carolina
 * Wilmington, North Carolina
 * Georgetown, South Carolina
 * Charleston, South Carolina
 * Savannah, Georgia (in later years)

Settlers and Records
No lists of settlers who used the King's Highway are known to exist.

Internet Sites

 * Brenda E.McPherson Compton, "The Scots-Irish From Ulster and The Great Philadelphia Wagon Road" in ElectricScotland.com at http://www.electricscotland.com/history/america/wagon_road.htm (accessed 31 July 2010). fckLR*"The Old Wagon Road" at http://www.delmars.com/family/wagonrd.htm (accessed 31 July 2010). fckLR*Joe A. Morley, ed., The Way We Lived in North Carolina chapter excerpts "The Great Wagon Road" at http://www.waywelivednc.com/before-1770/wagon-road.htm (accessed 1 August 2010).