Authorized by the Pennsylvania Legislature in 1809, construction of the East-West Road opened settlement across northern Pennsylvania. Mud-rutted roads and corduroy log bridges extended along what is now basically U.S. Route 6 to Smethport and then west to Warren, Pennsylvania, along today's Route 59. The road reached Smethport in 1828 and followed Main Street, and rainstorms often turned the corridor into a wild mud hole. Bricks finally replaced mud and dust in 1908. Built in 1831 for travelers on the early East-West Road, the Astor House Hotel was Smethport's giant, posh Federal-style hotel, with fine dining, elegant accommodations, a tavern, a general store, and a ballroom in its back section. The immense building, 108 feet long, was destroyed by fire on March 28, 1868.