Lynchburg and Salem Turnpike

The Lynchburg and Salem Turnpike Co. was incorporated in 1818 to build a turnpike from Lynchburg west to Salem. The road reached Liberty (now Bedford) in 1828 and was completed to Salem in 1836. In Bedford County, covered bridges spanned the Big Otter and Little Otter rivers. The latter bridge remained until 1947. This turnpike, with five tollgates, served as the main thoroughfare in the region until the Virginia & Tennessee Railroad was built in the 1850s. In 1854, the company abandoned responsibility for the road between New London and Liberty and the county took control.