Бостондық почта жолы: АҚШ тарихындағы маңызды бағдар

Road in the northeast United States

The Boston Post Road was a system of mail delivery routes between New York City and Boston, Massachusetts, that evolved into one of the first major highways in the United States. The three major alignments were the Lower Post Road (now U. S. Route 1 (US 1) along the shore via Providence, Rhode Island), the Upper Post Road (now US 5 and US 20 from New Haven, Connecticut, by way of Springfield, Massachusetts), and the Middle Post Road (which diverged from the Upper Road in Hartford, Connecticut, and ran northeastward to Boston via Pomfret, Connecticut). In some towns, the area near the Boston Post Road has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places, since it was often the first road in the area, and some buildings of historical significance were built along it. The Boston Post Road Historic District, including part of the road in Rye, New York, has been designated a National Historic Landmark. The Post Road is also famous for milestones that date from the 18th century, many of which survive to this day. In parts of Connecticut (generally east of Hartford), it is also known as Route 6.

The Upper Post Road was the most traveled of the three routes, being the furthest from the shore and thus having the fewest and shortest river crossings. It was also considered to have the best taverns, which contributed to its popularity. The Upper Post Road roughly corresponds to the alignment of U. S. Route 5 from New Haven, Connecticut, to Hartford; Connecticut Route 159 from Hartford to Springfield, Massachusetts; U. S. Route 20 from Springfield to Warren, Massachusetts (via Route 67); Massachusetts Route 9 from Warren to Worcester; an unnumbered road (Lincoln Street in Worcester, Main Street in Shrewsbury, and West Main Street in Northborough) to Northborough; and U. S. Route 20 from Northborough to Boston. A series of historic milestones erected in the 18th century survive along its route from Springfield to Boston.

The Lower Post Road hugged the shoreline of Long Island Sound all the way to Rhode Island and then turned north through Providence to Boston. This is now the best known of the routes. The Lower Post Road roughly corresponds to the original alignment of U. S. Route 1 in eastern Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.

The Middle Post Road was the shortest, fastest, and youngest portion of the route. From Hartford, it ran into the Eastern Upper Highlands, an area with large native Indian populations. During King Philip's War of 1675, travel in these areas was often dangerous for settlers. It was not until the end of the war and establishment of the Colonial post system that the area began to become populated, and the middle post road was established as the fastest route. This area of the state continues to remain underpopulated in contrast to other portions of Connecticut, and accordingly, portions of the original post road have been preserved due to various circumstances. It split from the Upper Post Road in Hartford, and initially ran roughly along current U. S. Route 44 through Bolton Notch and towards Mansfield Four Corners. From Mansfield, it went through Ashford, Pomfret, and headed into Massachusetts via the town of Thompson, along Thompson Road. In Massachusetts, the Middle Post Road runs along sections of modern Route 16 to Mendon, then through Bellingham, and then via Route 109 from Medway to Dedham where it meets with the Lower Post Road (old U. S. Route 1) heading into Boston.

The Long Walk – a novel by Stephen King published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman in 1979 as a paperback original – revolves around the contestants of a gruelling walking contest along a route that roughly follows and extends beyond the Boston Post Road. In the 1957 I Love Lucy episode "Lucy Raises Tulips", Lucy loses control of a riding lawn mower while mowing the lawn at the Ricardos' Westport home, and later describes riding it down the Boston Post Road "for a mile and a half, against traffic all the way".