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- Section of 19th Century Plank Road in Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn, Michigan, 1934 - In favor of a paved highway in 1926, California's Department of Public Works disassembled the Old Plank Road - eight miles of wooden planks spanning a vast sand dune field. A section of the historic thoroughfare was presented to Henry Ford Museum with a caveat: "use caution in unloading…poisonous insects such as scorpions, centipedes etc. may be encountered."
- August 01, 1934
- Collections - Artifact
Section of 19th Century Plank Road in Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn, Michigan, 1934
In favor of a paved highway in 1926, California's Department of Public Works disassembled the Old Plank Road - eight miles of wooden planks spanning a vast sand dune field. A section of the historic thoroughfare was presented to Henry Ford Museum with a caveat: "use caution in unloading…poisonous insects such as scorpions, centipedes etc. may be encountered."
- Sign Noting Toll Rates for the Detroit and Birmingham Plank Road, 1844-1850 - In the mid-19th century, road builders experimented with "plank roads" consisting of wood planks laid across longitudinal wood beams. Wood provided a smoother surface than dirt or gravel, especially in wet weather, but it deteriorated quickly. Maintenance costs, financed by user tolls, were prohibitively expensive and most plank roads were gradually resurfaced with gravel.
- 1844-1850
- Collections - Artifact
Sign Noting Toll Rates for the Detroit and Birmingham Plank Road, 1844-1850
In the mid-19th century, road builders experimented with "plank roads" consisting of wood planks laid across longitudinal wood beams. Wood provided a smoother surface than dirt or gravel, especially in wet weather, but it deteriorated quickly. Maintenance costs, financed by user tolls, were prohibitively expensive and most plank roads were gradually resurfaced with gravel.