19th century turnpikes in Massachusetts

In the late 18th and early 19th century, turnpikes, as opposed to ordinary roads of the same time, are roads where gates barred travelers from continuing and at which payments were demanded for the use of the road. The privilege of building and operating turnpikes was conferred by the state legislature to "turnpike corporations". Turnpikes were constructed using private capital, were privately owned, and were operated for revenue from toll collection. The turnpike era in Massachusetts began in 1796, when the first act of incorporation for a turnpike was passed. By 1850, most turnpike corporations had either been dissolved or have stopped collecting tolls. In all, 118 acts of incorporation were passed (ten of these were in the territory that later became the state of Maine). Typical toll rates were twenty-five cents for every coach with additional charges of four cents for every man and horse.

List of turnpikes

The following 19th century turnpikes were chartered and built in Massachusetts:

#Norfolk and Bristol Turnpike Dedham
#Quincy Turnpike Quincy
#Fourteenth Massachusetts Turnpike Shelburne
#Camden Turnpike MAINE
#First Cumberland Turnpike MAINE
#Belchertown and Greenwich Turnpike Belchertown
#Fifteenth Massachusetts Turnpike Great Barrington
#Wiscasset and Augusta Turnpike MAINE
#Medford Turnpike Somerville
#Braintree and Weymouth Turnpike Weymouth
#Chester Turnpike Middlefield
#Cambridge and Concord Turnpike Concord
#Newburyport Turnpike Danvers
#Becket Turnpike Becket
#Essex Turnpike Middleton
#Wiscasset and Woolwich Turnpike MAINE
#North Branch Turnpike Winchendon
#New Bedford and Bridgewater Turnpike Weymouth
#Petersham and Monson Turnpike Athol
#Union Turnpike Leominster
#Taunton and New Bedford Turnpike NOT MARKED
#Blue Hill Turnpike Milton
#Hartford and Dedham Turnpike Millis
#Dorchester Turnpike Dorchester
#Bath or Governor King's Turnpike MAINE
#Brush Hill Turnpike Milton
#Andover and Medford Turnpike Reading
#Middlesex Turnpike Billerica
#Worcester and Fitzwilliam Turnpike Winchendon
#Ashby Turnpike Ashby
#Worcester and Stafford Turnpike Holland
#Plum Island Turnpike Newbury
#Worcester Turnpike Framingham
#Housatonic River Turnpike West Stockbridge
#Alford and Egremont Turnpike Egremont
#Lancaster and Bolton Turnpike Bolton
#Wrentham and Walpole Turnpike Walpole
#Stoughton Turnpike Stoughton
#Taunton and South Boston Turnpike Randolph
#Hingham and Quincy Turnpike Hingham
#Hudson Turnpike West Stockbridge
#Douglas, Sutton and Oxford Turnpike Douglas
#Great Barrington and Alford Turnpike Egremont
#Mill Dam Boston
#Barre Turnpike Barre
#Chester Turnpike Chester
#Watertown Turnpike Watertown
#Central Turnpike Framingham
#Turnpike from Cambridge to Watertown Watertown
#Gore Turnpike Douglas
#Pontoosac Turnpike Chester
#Taunton and Providence Turnpike Taunton
#Hampden and Berkshire Turnpike Otis
#Granite Turnpike [http://www.catskillarchive.com/rrextra/abnegr0.Html]

[http://catskillarchive.com/rrextra/hthmt.Html others]

References

*cite book|author=Frederic J. Wood|title=The Turnpikes of New England [abridged] |publisher=Branch Line Press|year=1997, orig. 1919|id=ISBN 0-942147-05-7
* [http://web.bryant.edu/~history/h364proj/fall_01/tiner/the_turnpikes.htm List of turnpikes] dead link|date=January 2008 |url=http://web.bryant.edu/~history/h364proj/fall_01/tiner/the_turnpikes.htm