"That really was one of the first real roads through the
county," said Mark Ware, director of the Somerset Historical
Center. "It set the stage for subsequent settling, trade and
industry in the county." "They then became major highways which
played a role in the way goods were delivered and where major
cities were located. Now, very little remains of the original."
In fact, the Forbes Road was so well-suited for development it
was almost completely subsumed or destroyed in the subsequent
expansions and settlements. A couple dozen historical buildings,
some roadside markers and a few forts like Ligonier and Pitt
remain preserved throughout the state. In Somerset County a few
feet of wooden road — from a section called Corduroy Road — and
a small fortified supply post called a "redoubt" remain from 19
miles of trail. "A lot of it has been stripped (mined) or
destroyed. Most of it is on private land, what remains," Ware
said. "The public doesn't have easy access to the sites."
Corduroy Road is a good example. T