Although the Good Roads Movement began in the 1880s, it continued into the twentieth century. In North Carolina, activists called for a hard-surfaced road network, built and managed by the state, to replace an ineffectual district-by-district construction program. In 1921, the General Assembly passed a good roads bill. Supporters claimed that roads would help connect the state’s textile industry and local farmers to national railroad and waterway networks. By 1925, funds raised by a gasoline tax, automobile license fees, and federal government highway bonds paid for 7,680 miles of improved roads.
Stuck in the mud
“Get a horse!” was a common remark directed at car owners in such a predicament. After a few experiences like this, many motorists supported higher taxes for improved roads.
Magazine cover showing Highway 10 near Asheville, North Carolina, 1928
With the influx of public money, North Carolina began to build roads to connect all its county seats. Improved road networks and improved road surfaces allowed year-round automobile travel to become a reality.
Kramer farm wagon, 1925
Farmers’ wagons served many purposes. They picked up and delivered goods, and also served as passenger vehicles when benches or extra wagon seats were added. In 1926, despite the growing use of the automobile, more than 200,000 new wagons were manufactured, and millions were still in use around the country.
