Before interstate exits and GPS voices telling us where to turn, there was one road that helped shape America.
The Historic National Road—often called the Cumberland Road—was the nation’s first federally funded highway, authorized in 1806 and envisioned as a way to connect the young country from east to west. By the time construction reached Illinois, it transformed settlement patterns, commerce, and travel across the prairie. Today, Illinois preserves a 164-mile segment stretching from Marshall to East St. Louis, roughly shadowed by U.S. Route 40 and Interstate 70.
For Backyard Tourists, this route offers something even better than a fast drive: small towns, giant roadside attractions, historic landmarks, and stories hiding just off the pavement.
Marshall: Begin Where the Story Begins
At Illinois’ eastern edge sits Marshall, the first stop along the National Road. Travelers should begin at historic Harlan Hall, home to the National Road Welcome Center. Once an opera house and livery, the building still contains reminders of the stagecoach era and interprets how this route carried settlers westward.
Marshall is also home to the oldest house in Illinois—a fitting place to begin a journey rooted in the state’s earliest days.
Casey: Big Things in a Small Town
No road trip is complete without a little whimsy.
Casey has become nationally known for its collection of oversized attractions—massive wind chimes, giant rocking chairs, a mailbox, knitting needles, and other Guinness-recognized creations that transformed a small town into a destination.
This stop feels like classic roadside Americana—the kind of place where adults become kids again and where every oversized object somehow deserves a photo. So Instagram-able!
Greenup: Where Lincoln Once Crossed
Greenup carries a quieter story.
Named for William Greenup, who supervised construction of the National Road in Illinois, the town traces its roots directly to the route itself.
Nearby stands the Jackson Truss Covered Bridge, a modern recreation inspired by earlier crossings. Local tradition suggests a young Abraham Lincoln and his father helped construct an early bridge crossing here. Whether folklore or fact, the story fits perfectly with the National Road’s larger mythology.
Covered bridges possess a certain magic. They invite you to slow down—and the National Road rewards travelers willing to do exactly that.
Teutopolis: A Slice of Germany on the Prairie
As the road continues west, Illinois unexpectedly becomes a little more German.
Founded by immigrants seeking religious freedom and opportunity, Teutopolis still reflects its heritage today. The Monastery Museum preserves artifacts and stories from early Franciscan settlers who helped shape community life across this region.
For travelers, Teutopolis offers one of the route’s recurring themes: discovering cultures and communities you never expected to find.
Effingham: The Crossroads of Illinois
Effingham has long served as a transportation hub. Where travelers once followed the National Road, modern visitors encounter intersections of major highways and rail lines.
But perhaps its most visible landmark is the towering 198-foot cross that rises over the landscape and has become a recognizable roadside landmark for generations of Illinois travelers.
Effingham also rewards visitors who dig a little deeper with museums and local history tied to transportation and military heritage.
Vandalia: Where the Road Ended—and History Began
For many historians, Vandalia represents the symbolic western terminus of the original National Road. Construction funding ended here in the late 1830s.
That alone would make it important.
But Vandalia also served as Illinois’ second state capital and played a role in the early political career of a young lawyer named Abraham Lincoln.
Today, the National Road Interpretive Center helps visitors understand the road’s impact through exhibits including stagecoach history and pioneer stories.
This is one of those places where Illinois history suddenly feels personal.
Collinsville: The Giant Catsup Bottle
Every great road trip has an attraction that makes you ask: “Wait…what?”
For Collinsville, that answer is the giant Brooks Catsup Bottle Water Tower, a beloved Route 40 landmark and one of Illinois’ most delightfully quirky roadside icons.
The National Road has always mixed practical transportation with roadside curiosity. Collinsville proves some traditions never disappear.
The area also serves as a gateway to one of North America’s most important archaeological landscapes nearby—proof that the stories along this road go back much farther than automobiles.
East St. Louis: Reaching the Mississippi
The final stretch brings travelers to East St. Louis and the Mississippi River. Today, highways and bridges dominate the landscape, but historically this represented a critical transportation crossroads linking east and west.
Standing at the river’s edge, it is easy to imagine what travelers once felt after weeks of movement: anticipation.
The National Road wasn’t merely pavement. It was possibility.
The Backyard Tourist Take
The Historic National Road is easy to overlook. Interstate 70 moves faster. GPS routes are more direct.
But this old road rewards travelers who leave the interstate and wander.
You’ll discover giant rocking chairs, covered bridges, pioneer stories, immigrant communities, Lincoln history, roadside oddities, and reminders that sometimes the journey itself is the destination.
And maybe that’s exactly what the first road across America was built to teach us.
What should you listen to on this road trip?
The Pioneers
This follows the settling of the Northwest Territory and early expansion into places that shaped the Midwest. It captures the same spirit that built the National Road: people heading west into possibility. David McCullough’s narration style is made for long drives.
On the Road
Not historically tied to the National Road, but it’s one of the great American travel narratives and literally celebrates movement across the country.
The Backyard Tourist 