GLOSSARY

Blacksmith:

A person who makes objects from iron, such as horseshoes and mended metal pots. Blacksmiths were also paid to put the shoes on horses.

Candle:

A cylinder shaped object made of tallow or wax with a wick through its center, which gives light when it is burned.

Carpet bag:

A traveling bag made from carpet or rug used by travelers on stagecoaches. .

Checkers:

A game played on a checkerboard by two players, each with 12 pieces to move.

Coachman's horn:

A long horn, used to announce the arrival of a coach at a tavern. These were also used on stagecoaches to warn other travelers to let the stagecoach pass (especially mail coaches). .

Commerce:

The buying and selling of goods; trade. .

Conestoga Wagon:

A large wagon with a cream or white cloth cover. The wagon bed was deep, turned up at each end like a boat, and painted red and blue. First manufactured in the Conestoga River Valley of Lancaster, PA, they were 11 feet high, 17-19 feet long (22 feet in length including canvas bonnet), and weighed between 3,000 and 3,500 pounds. These wagons could carry up to 10,000 pounds and were pulled by teams of 6-8 horses. .

Drover:

A person who walks animals - cows, pigs, sheep, turkeys to market.

Emigrants:

People leaving one country or region to live in another. .

Feed box:

A long wooden box used to feed horses. These were carried hanging off the back of Conestoga wagons. .

Fireplace:

A place for a fire, especially an open place, built in a wall, at the base of a chimney.

Hame bells:

Sets of bells hung on an arch over each Conestoga horse's collar. These bells were designed to sound a warning to prevent collisions along the road.

Macadam system:

A way of making a road by packing several layers of small stones together. The road is built to allow water to drain off of it. .

Mattock:

A tool having a blade and a pick on a long handle, used for loosening dirt, digging, and cutting roots.

Measuring rings:

Metal rings used to measure the size of broken rocks to be placed on a road surface. Seven-inch and three-inch rings were used when the National Road was first built.

Merchant:

A person who buys and sells things. .

Mile Marker:

A stone or metal post showing the distance in miles to or from a specific place. .

Quill pen and ink well:

A writing tool made from a feather. The quill of the feather was sharpened, dipped in ink, and used for writing.

"S" Bridge:

An arched bridge directly across the stream or river with the approaching roads curving to meet it, giving the road an "S" shape. .

Stagecoach:

A lightweight, flat topped, brightly painted coach pulled by 4 or 6 horses and used extensively on the National Road. People paid to ride these coaches from one town to another. The coaches had doors and windows. .

Stand:

A stop along the National Road, for either coaches, wagons, or drovers. These could provide drink, food, lodging, and a change of horse teams, depending on the stand. .

Tar bucket:

A wooden or leather pot with a cover used to store the tar (made from pine tar and animal fat) needed for greasing Conestoga wagon axles. These pots also held the wooden paddle used to apply the tar.

Tavern:

A place offering food, drink, and a place to sleep for travelers

Tollhouse:

A place where tolls were collected and the tollkeeper lived.

Toll:

Money paid to travel on the National Road. The money was collected to repair and help maintain the Road.

Wagon jack:

A tool used to lift the frame of a Conestoga wagon in order to repair or replace a wheel. Jacks also had to be used to remove wheels in order to grease wagon axles.

Wash basin and pitcher:

A large bowl used to hold water for washing face and hands. The water is poured from a pitcher.