The National Road opened a new era of American history as wagon wheels and horses' hooves sounded on its macadam pavement. For families in towns such as Hebron, Brownsville, and Jacksontown, it was an important part of the local economy, while for others, including the Simpsons in Madison Township, it served as a gateway to new opportunities in the West. In 1850, Emeretta Simpson watched her brothers, John and Alva, set out for a new life with bravery, hope, and a few useful books from the family's home library. The road helped them and thousands of others travel more easily in search of the American dream, while also allowing goods and materials to be transported more efficiently and helping local economies and communities grow rapidly. In Ohio, part of the National Road followed Zane's Trace between Wheeling, West Virginia, and Zanesville, Ohio. Zane's Trace was named for Ebenezer Zane, who established the road between 1796 and 1797. The National Road was paved with macadam, a surface of crushed and compacted gravel created by John McAdam in 1820. Construction on the National Road began in Cumberland, Maryland, in 1811 and ended in Vandalia, Illinois, in 1837.