News Release

National Road Bicentennial Symposium to be held at Washington & Jefferson College

News Release Date: October 3, 2018

Contact: Hilary Miller, 724-329-2501

POINT MARION, PA – 2018 marks the bicentennial of the opening of the Eastern Legacy portion of the National Road from Cumberland, Maryland, to Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia). The National Park Service has partnered with Washington & Jefferson College and the National Road Heritage Corridor to commemorate this important milestone and to recognize the National Road’s significance and legacy.

The National Road Bicentennial Symposium will be held on Saturday, October 27, 2018 at the Howard J. Burnett Center at Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania. The keynote presentation will be given by Dr. John Lauritz Larson, author of Internal Improvement: National Public Works and the Promise of Popular Government in the Early United States and The Market Revolution in America.

The symposium will also feature a special presentation by Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin, President Thomas Jefferson, and President James Madison, portrayed by Ron Duquette, Tom Pitz, and Kyle Jenks, respectively. Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin played pivotal roles in the process to get the National Road approved and funded.

A special pre-symposium gathering, “History makers Mingle,” will be hosted by the National Road Heritage Corridor and its partners, the City of Washington Citywide Development Corporation, and Washington Main Street.  All are invited to attend for casual conversation and hors d'oeuvres Chicco, 239 South Main Street, Washington, PA 15301. The event includes tasting of local foods and sampling of craft cocktails Baccello by Liberty Pole Spirits of Washington. Albert Gallatin and other curated will be there to share their thoughts and insights on why this road was a necessary improvement for the formation of the nation. Public parking lots and street parking are available for historymakers Mingle.

There will be an open house at Friendship Hill National Historic Site, the home of Albert Gallatin, on Friday, October 26 from 12:00-4:00 p.m. for symposium attendees. Self-guided tours of the Gallatin House will be available during this time. At 2:00 p.m., park staff will offer a guided tour of the Gallatin House for symposium attendees. This event and tour are free. Reservations are not required.

The National Road Bicentennial Symposium has been approved as a 5-hour workshop for Act 48 hours through Intermediate Unit 1. 

Tickets for the Symposium are $30. Friday’s Historymakers Mingle event is $20. A combination ticket is also available. Tickets are available on-line through October 19. For full schedule information and links to purchase tickets, visit nationalroadpa.org/200th/nrbs/.