Lynchburg and Salem Turnpike

The Lynchburg and Salem Turnpike Company was incorporated in 1818 to construct a turnpike from Lynchburg west to Salem in order to establish communication between Lynchburg and Salem and the western part of Virginia. It was funded by stock bought by the state as well as the public. The road reached Liberty, now Bedford, in 1828 and was completed to Salem in 1836. With five tollgates, it served as the main thoroughfare in the region until the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad was built in the 1850s. In September 1873, the commonwealth sold its shares of the turnpike stock at auction.

Salem, Virginia · United States