Lynchburg and Salem Turnpike

The Lynchburg and Salem Turnpike Co. was incorporated in 1818 to construct a turnpike from Lynchburg west to Salem "to establish a communication between Lynchburg [to Salem] and the western part of Virginia." It was funded by stock bought by the state as well as the public. The road reached Liberty (now Bedford) in 1828 and was completed to Salem in 1836. This turnpike, with five tollgates, served as the main thoroughfare in the region until the Virginia & Tennessee Railroad was built in the 1850s. In Sept. 1873, the commonwealth sold its shares of the turnpike stock at auction.