History
Wisconsin Avenue follows the route of an ancient Native American trail. Between 1805 and 1820, it was reconstructed into a toll road to carry tobacco and other products between Georgetown and Frederick. Starting around 1920, various sections of the road have been paved and widened to two, four and as many as six lanes.
In 1864, General Jubal A. Early marched down this road from Monocacy Junction in an attempt to take Washington, D.C. that ended in the Battle of Fort Stevens.
Wisconsin Avenue was once U.S. Highway 240. Outside of the Beltway, U.S. Highway 240 was relocated to what is today Interstate 270. Eventually, the entire route designation was decommissioned.
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Famous quotes containing the word history:
“In all history no class has been enfranchised without some selfish motive underlying. If to-day we could prove to Republicans or Democrats that every woman would vote for their party, we should be enfranchised.”
—Carrie Chapman Catt (1859–1947)
“A great proportion of the inhabitants of the Cape are always thus abroad about their teaming on some ocean highway or other, and the history of one of their ordinary trips would cast the Argonautic expedition into the shade.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
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—Dudley Nichols, U.S. screenwriter. Jean Renoir. Sorel (Philip Merivale)