You may have noticed that I like to paint winter scenes if you’ve followed my work. I get questions about why I do this; one reason is that I find the scenes more interesting to paint than during the greener seasons.
This week Garrett County celebrates the National Road Festival in Grantsville, Maryland – an annual event that celebrates the historic National Road, also known as U.S. Route 40. The National Road Festival is celebrated along the road across Maryland, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
Piece of History
The National Road was one of the first federally-funded highways in the United States and was built in the early 1800s to connect the eastern seaboard to the western frontier. It played an important role in the country’s westward expansion and is recognized as a National Scenic Byway.
I always enjoy visiting Grantsville and have painted some subject matter from the area more than once, including Stanton’s Mill and the Casselman River Bridge which served as an important link on the National Road from 1813 to 1933.