Begun in 1806, the Historic National Road was the nation's first interstate highway and the first road to receive federal funding, stretching from Cumberland, Maryland, to Vandalia, Illinois. Across Indiana, it covered 156 miles linking the eastern U.S. with the western interior, and the Putnam County section was constructed from 1827 to 1834 before being widened to four lanes and paved in 1939. The road drove the town's economic growth, inspiring inns, stables, stores, and a blacksmith shop. In 1840, John Parsons wrote during a tour through Indiana that the road was in very good condition and presented an interesting spectacle of red stagecoaches passing frequently, barns where horses were always changed, wagons pushing westward, movers and merchants with their goods, and a continual stream of travel from sunrise to sunset, and he marveled at the number of men of fine education and excellent family who had gathered there.