FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE BOSTON POST The Boston ROAD: Gibbons, Gail. 1986. From Path to Highway: The story of the Boston Turnpike Post Road. HarperCollins. Lawlor, Laurie. 2000. Horseback on TRAIL the Boston Post Road, 1704. Alladin Paperbacks.

http://groups.msn.com/American EASTFORD, CT RoadsandTrails

PARKING: Limited parking can be found on the State Forest road (no name) and near the junction of rts 244 & 198. It is best to carpool if coming with a group. DOGS: Dogs must be on leash at all 3 times. Please bring a plastic bag to clean up after your dog. Conserving PLEASE REMEMBER TO STAY History and ON THE TRAIL. TRAMPLING CAN DESTROY NATURAL HABITATS. Nature THE TRAIL IS OPEN TO FOOT TRAFFIC ONLY. MOTORIZED IN VEHICLES ARE NOT PERMITTED. CONNECTICUT’S Printed by the Eastford Conservation and Historical QUIET CORNER Preservation Commission through a grant from the Quinebaug- Shetucket Heritage Corridor, Inc. Welcome to Eastford’s to carry the mail. Back in 1673 it took Nature on the Boston Boston Turnpike Trail ! about a month for a letter to go from Turnpike Trail New York to Boston. First the mail was carried by horseback and then The Trail passes through part later by stage coach. These roads of the Natchaug State Forest as well 3 gave farmers a way to get their goods as over privately owned land. We to markets and were important for thank the land owners who have moving troops during colonial wars given their permission for the public and the American Revolution. to use this trail. You are standing on the only remaining unaltered portion of an In order to raise money to pay The portion of the trail between early road system that first connected for the upkeep of the road, the newly Old Colony Road and State Forest our towns and cities during colonial formed states of the United States Road passes through what is now a times. This was called the Boston allowed towns to charge tolls on their typical maple/oak/hickory forest. Post Road. It was first established portions of the Post Road. The roads Near to the State Forest Road the under King Charles II of Britain in then came to be called “turnpikes” trail passes through wetland habitat. 1673 and followed trails laid out in because of the turnstiles where A small bridge and a short length of much earlier times by Native travelers had to pay a toll before board walk have been constructed to Americans. passing . ease your passage through these areas. The Boston Post Road was not At some places along the a single road, but actually a system of Boston Turnpike Trail you’ll notice The Boston Turnpike Trail roads that connected the important that the old roadway still maintains continues through hardwood forest cities of the colonies: Boston, its crown at the center. This allowed down to Rt. 198. You can turn back Hartford, Providence, New Haven, rainwater to drain off to the sides, an and re-trace your steps on the old New York, Philadelphia, especially important feature in the road way or follow the newly cleared Williamsburg, and Charleston. The mud season! Although cattle drivers loop trail and visit several different portion you are about to visit was part were permitted to use the route, the habitats. Along this section you’ll of the Middle Route that ran east from cattle had to be kept off the main cross a stream, find stands of Hartford to Putnam, then on to road. You’ll see stone walls running coniferous trees planted by the Dedham, Massachusetts and finally parallel to the road in places. On the Connecticut DEP Div. of Forestry, to Boston. The trip from Boston to other side of these walls is where the pass a vernal pool, and finally return New York via this route was about cattle were permitted to walk. to the old Post Road after passing by 225 miles, considerably shorter than a meadow. the southern Boston Post Road that 3 ran along the coast.

As the name implies, an important function of these roads was