Route 8 was once known as the Butler Plank Road

Route 8 and its predecessors have been a critical north-south route between Pittsburgh and Butler since the time of the first settlers. At first, the road was an Indian trace no wider than a man on a horse. Travel was difficult. Deep mud, regular flooding of local creeks, and the threat of Indian attacks limited travel to only the most daring.

The first effort for an improved road connecting the Butler area to points south began in 1804 when the state government approved improvements to the existing dirt path. Not much was done beyond removing trees, stumps and underbrush. As Butler grew in importance as a center of commerce, the state recognized the need for an improved road to Pittsburgh.

In 1819, the Pittsburgh and Butler Turnpike Company was formed. The Turnpike opened in 1822 and was completed in 1823. Construction contracts for the road were awarded for five- and ten-mile stretches covering 31.5 miles and including 17 bridges. The route began on Federal Street in Allegheny City (now Pittsburgh’s North Side), ran east across Ohio Street, then followed what is now Route 28 to Etna.

From Etna, the road followed Mt. Royal Boulevard and connected with what is now the Route 8 corridor near Wildwood. It was unpaved, the surface only improved with a layer of clay. Still, it shortened travel time from Butler to Pittsburgh to 14 hours — about the time needed to travel to China today!

Although the turnpike provided a vital route for goods and travelers, tolls generally did not keep up with maintenance costs and the road fell into disrepair. By the mid-19th century, the need for an improved road was evident. In May of 1850, at a meeting in Bakerstown, the books were open to investors in the new Allegheny and Butler Plank Road Company, which incorporated in February of the following year. Local men, including Richland settlers William Dickey and Richard Morrow, undertook to build sections.

The Plank Road had a base of crushed flagstone, covered with hand-split logs. The new road was finished in 1853 at a cost of $116,000. The first record of tolls appears to be in 1855, with tolls amounting to $9,030.64. The cost of travel was 2 cents per mile for a horse and 3 1/2 cents for a team, except on Sundays when travel was free.

The original path of the old Plank Road is still evident and can be seen on old maps of the region. In Richland, it passed through Bakerstown on Heckert Road; exiting Bakerstown to the south would take you along what is now St. George Drive.

The map from 1876 shows a toll booth just north of Dickey Road. Other sources record toll booths at Sandy Hill Road and on Heckert Road near the Schellhaas Funeral Home. It is likely that the toll booths were relocated for convenience. Traveling south, the route ran along Community Center Drive, then wound back and forth along the current route to the Hampton border.

Unlike many plank road companies of the time, the Allegheny and Butler Plank Road Company was moderately successful, maintaining the toll road into the late 19th century. However, heavy travel eroded and warped the boards, which had to be replaced often. A major rejuvenation began in the 1870s where the split logs were replaced by 3-inch thick by 8-foot long factory-sawed planks laid across stringers that ran parallel to the road.

By 1900, the plank road’s surface had worn down and the turnpike company was no longer interested in maintaining it. In 1905, the southern half of the road was sold to Allegheny County for $65,000, while the Butler portion of the road was taken over by the state in 1913.

In 1918, Route 8 began as a two-lane macadam highway (consisting of compacted layers of crushed stone) with drainage ditches, replacing the deteriorated plank road. It was newly paved in 1921, presumably to better accommodate high-speed automobile travel. In 1934, the road was straightened and widened to three lanes, with an asphalt surface and multiple bridges to bypass town crossings and other obstacles. It was named the William Flinn Highway, after the former state senator. Later, in the late 1950s, it was widened to four lanes.

Perhaps someday, we can fly from Etna to Butler in minutes, but until then, at least it’s no longer 14 hours!

Charles Stinner and Ian Stinner are research authors with the Richland History Group.