Category:Strasburg Road

Strasburg Road 

historic road in the United States
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Location	United States of America
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Strasburg Road is a historic road from Philadelphia (Market Street at the west side of the Skuykil River) to West Chester, PA (Market Street) through Western Chester County and Eastern Lancaster County to Strasburg, PA. This road was officially laid out in 1790 and the survey and ultimate layout passed by the Pennsylvania Assembly, but a similar route was in use long before, going back to the Great Minquas Path - a Native American fur trading path going from Conestoga (near Lancaster) through today's Willow Street, PA, Strasburg, Gap, Parkesburg, West Chester, and then spreading out to go to Wilmington, Del., Derby, and maybe Philadelphia and Chester. The Great Minquas Path was in use BEFORE European settlement, but the exact location seemed to change. The current route of Strasburg Road goes from West Chester to a mile west of Marshallton on PA 162, a distance of 5-10 miles. Street signs designate the route (as Strasburg Road, West Strasburg Rd., and briefly Old Strasburg Road) the rest of the way to Strasburg, with only 2 small gaps, near Parkesburg (Main Street) and Gap (road jogs .25 miles north). East of West Chester the old route is presumably followed by PA 3, the West Chester Pike - as it has the same starting and ending points, but the only street sign is about a 1 mile stretch of East Strasburg Road, a bit north of the West Chester pike, which becomes Goshen Road (another old road which parallels the West Chester Pike). West of Strasburg there is a Lancaster-Strasburg Pike which is a fairly old route, but presumably not part of the 1790 route. Conestoga Road from Strasburg goes through Willow Street, Pa and on to the Conestoga area, which is presumably the route of the Great Minquas path. There are many NRHP sites along Strasburg Road, including a Multiple Listing. The road was discouraged/encouraged by competing transport Routes - the Lancaster-Philadelphia Pike (US 30) and the Pennsylvania Railroad Mainline.