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Did an ancestor travel the '''Old Roebuck Road''' of Massachusetts and Rhode Island? Learn about this settler migration route, its transportation history, and find related genealogy sources.<br><br> [[Image:{{ORoebuckRd}}]]__TOC__ | Did an ancestor travel the '''Old Roebuck Road''' of Massachusetts and Rhode Island? Learn about this settler migration route, its transportation history, and find related genealogy sources.<br><br> [[Image:{{ORoebuckRd}}]]__TOC__ | ||
=== History === | === History === | ||
The '''Old Roebuck Road''' started as an ancient American Indian footpath connecting Massachusetts Bay to Narragansett Bay. | The '''Old Roebuck Road''' started as an ancient American Indian footpath connecting Massachusetts Bay to Narragansett Bay. In colonial days Europeans expanded that trail into a wagon road going 43 miles (69 kilometers) from '''[[Boston, Massachusetts]]''' to '''[[Providence, Rhode Island]]'''. That route was shared by a part of the [[Bay Road]] from Boston as far as Norwood. Moreover, the whole of the Old Roebuck Road became a leg on the lower [[Boston Post Road]] between Boston and New York City. In the 1760s and 1770s it was also part of the [[King's Highway]] from Boston to New York City and all the way south to Charleston, South Carolina. | ||
The history of Cobb's Tavern reflects on the history of the Old Roebuck Road. Cobb's Tavern is about half way between Boston and Providence, about a day's stagecoach travel from each. The land which eventually held the Cobb's Tavern in Easton was first purchased in 1725 by the Hixon brothers. Later, Elizah Fisher purchased the land in 1797. Fisher operated a tavern there. He sold out, and Jonathan Cobb significantly expanded the tavern as traffic along the Old Roebuck Road improved about 1800. In 1819 he was appointed postmaster, and the role of the building as post office continued until at least 1895.<ref>[http://www.risingstarlodge.org/history/cobbs_tavern.aspx Cobb's Tavern] in ''Rising Star Lodge, A.F. and A.M.'' (accessed 16 October 2014).</ref> | The history of Cobb's Tavern reflects on the history of the Old Roebuck Road. Cobb's Tavern is about half way between Boston and Providence, about a day's stagecoach travel from each. The land which eventually held the Cobb's Tavern in Easton was first purchased in 1725 by the Hixon brothers. Later, Elizah Fisher purchased the land in 1797. Fisher operated a tavern there. He sold out, and Jonathan Cobb significantly expanded the tavern as traffic along the Old Roebuck Road improved about 1800. In 1819 he was appointed postmaster, and the role of the building as post office continued until at least 1895.<ref>[http://www.risingstarlodge.org/history/cobbs_tavern.aspx Cobb's Tavern] in ''Rising Star Lodge, A.F. and A.M.'' (accessed 16 October 2014).</ref> | ||