The William Penn Highway was an
auto trail
The system of auto trails was an informal network of marked routes that existed in the United States and Canada in the early part of the 20th century. Marked with colored bands on utility poles, the trails were intended to help travellers in ...
that ran from
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
in west to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
in the east. It served as the
Pikes Peak Ocean to Ocean Highway
Pikes Peak Ocean to Ocean Highway was an early coast-to-coast highway in the United States. The route crossed the nation from New York City to Los Angeles, and was in direct competition with the Lincoln Highway and the National Old Trails Road. I ...
west of
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
and as its branch to New York City. The William Penn Highway Association of Pennsylvania was organized March 27, 1916 to promote a road parallel to the
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...
between Pittsburgh and
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
.
Routing
Pennsylvania
Largely, the William Penn Highway in Pennsylvania has since been superseded by US 22. From Pittsburgh, the highway's original route followed modern-day
Routes 380 and
8 to
Wilkinsburg
Wilkinsburg is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. The borough has a population of 15,930 as of the 2010 census. Wilkinsburg is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The borough was named for John Wilkins Jr., a United States Army ...
, then Penn Avenue and the William Penn Highway up to an alignment since absorbed by
I-376. From here, the road weaves between I-376, still known as the Old William Penn Highway, bypassing the old Northern Pike to the north. From here to
Armagh
Armagh ( ; ga, Ard Mhacha, , "Macha's height") is the county town of County Armagh and a city in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Pri ...
, the highway closely follows modern-day US 22, though this route bypasses town centers historically served by the William Penn. At Armagh, a loop following the north bank of the
Conemaugh River
The Conemaugh River is a long tributary of the Kiskiminetas River in Westmoreland, Indiana, and Cambria counties in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The name means 'Otter Creek', originating from the Unami-Lenape language word ''kwənəmuxkw'' ...
serviced
Johnstown, and has since been replaced by
PA 403 and William Penn Avenue, connecting back to the main highway at
Mundy's Corner.
The highway then went to
Ebensburg
Ebensburg is a borough and the county seat of Cambria County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is located west of Altoona and surrounded by Cambria Township. It is situated in the Allegheny Mountains at about above sea level. Ebensburg is ...
, where it branched off from both its predecessor and successor thoroughfares by traveling along Manor Drive to
Loretto, then Syberton Road to Syberton, PA 53 to
Ashville Ashville or Asheville may refer to:
Places United States
* Ashville, Alabama
* Ashville, Louisville, Kentucky
* Ashville, New York
* Asheville, North Carolina
** Asheville metropolitan area
** Asheville School
** Asheville High School
** Ashe ...
, and PA 36 to
Altoona. From here, the highway paralleled the Pennsylvania Railroad closely, turning north on
US 220 Business and Old US 220 to
Tyrone, then south to Water Street, where it meets today's course of US 22 again. From
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
to
Huntingdon
Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver Cromwell was born there ...
, the old Northern Pike was bypassed by a route to the south, which US 22 has in turn bypassed in part. US 22 again bypasses the original route from Lewiston to
Thompsontown. From
Millerstown, the route services
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
via modern-day
PA 17 and
US 11/15.
Through the highway's early history, it serviced downtown
Harrisburg
Harrisburg is the capital city of the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the List of c ...
directly. From the west, it entered the city by Front Street, and may have used Market Street through Downtown Harrisburg. The route crossed over the
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...
using Mulberry Street using a connection with Fourth Street.
From Harrisburg to
Allentown Allentown may refer to several places in the United States and topics related to them:
*Allentown, California, now called Toadtown, California
*Allentown, Georgia, a town in Wilkinson County
*Allentown, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Taze ...
, the original highway serviced the cities of
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
and
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
directly. It left Harrisburg on Derry Street, which at the time Grayson Road over the Reading Railroad. After a brief stretch of modern US 322, the road passed through
Hummelstown
Hummelstown is a borough in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,535 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Originally named Fredrickstown, the town was establi ...
on Main Street, then crossed over the Reading again to follow Chocolate Avenue through
Hershey. Through Lebanon to Reading, the route is still serviced by
US 422
U.S. Route 422 (US 422) is a long spur route of US 22 split into two segments in the U.S. states of Ohio and Pennsylvania. The western segment of US 422 runs from downtown Cleveland, Ohio, east to Ebensburg, Pennsylvania. ...
, with the exception of bypasses of
Myerstown and
Womesldorf. The route entered Reading on Penn Avenue and left on
US 222 Business. With the exception of bypasses of Kutztown and Trexlertown, the route follows
US 222 and
PA 222 into Allentown. It exited Allentown on Hanover Avenue and entered Bethlehem on Broad Street. From Bethlehem to the New Jersey border, the highway followed modern-day Linden Street and Easton Avenue in Bethlehem; William Penn Highway between Bethlehem and Easton; and Butler Street, 13th Street, and Northampton Street in Easton.
New Jersey
The road is today the following routes:
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
[Rand McNally and Co. "Eastern Ohio, Western Pennsylvania, South East Michigan, Southern Ontario, Western New York: District No. 4". ''Rand McNally Official Auto Trails Map'', 3rd ed., 1924, pp. 168-169. ''David Rumsey Historical Map Collection'', David Rumsey (curator), Cartography Associates, Accessed Nov 4, 2019]
www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~201570~3000600:Auto-Trails-Map--Pennsylvania,-New-
West of Newark, the whole alignment was designated as
Route 24 in 1927.
See also
*
Penn-Lincoln Parkway
Interstate 376 (I-376) is a major auxiliary Interstate Highway, auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System in the US state of Pennsylvania, located within the Allegheny Plateau. It runs from Interstate 80 in Pennsylvania, I-80 near ...
References
Further reading
*{{cite web, url=https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/us22.cfm, title=U.S. 22 – The William Penn Highway, work=Highway History, publisher=Federal Highway Administration, last=Weingroff, first= Richard F., access-date=December 18, 2020
Auto trails in the United States
Transportation in Pennsylvania
Transportation in New Jersey
Roads in Pennsylvania
Streets in Pittsburgh
U.S. Route 22
U.S. Route 46
U.S. Route 202