Once known as the National Highway, U.S. 40 has long been a major east-west route across America. In this fascinating and profusely illustrated book, Thomas J. Schlereth explores the historic landscapes and cultural legacies that are evident alongside the 156 miles of the highway that bisect central Indiana. In Part I, the author shows how the extant physical evidence of any American road can be interpreted in a way that illuminates its historical development and contemporary meaning. Part II applies those interpretive techniques to the Indiana section of U.S. 40, focusing on four historical periods: the highway's "National Road" era (1827-49); the time frame of its private highway associations (1850-1925); its resurgence as part of the national numbered highway system (1925-present); and its role since the advent of the Interstate era (1960-present). In Part III, Schlereth reviews the scholarship on American highways, including bibliographical resources that he consulted in his original research as well as new studies published since the book's original appearance.
- ISBN13 9780870499456
- Publish Date 2 July 1997
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 23 May 2014
- Publish Country US
- Imprint University of Tennessee Press
- Format Paperback
- Pages 176
- Language English