1948 Lafayette Highway Association Strip Map of the United States East Coast

This is a 1948 Lafayette Highway Association map of U.S. Highway 1, the longest north-south road in the United States. The map depicts the East Coast of the United States from Bangor, Maine, to Miami, Florida and from Rochester, New York, to the Atlantic Ocean. Several highways, highlighted in red, correspond to the routes this pamphlet is promoting. These include Highways 1, 15A, and 17. A stamp below the map implies this particular example must have been distributed by Robbins Tourist Cabins, located seven miles north of Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Highway Associations

The movement promoting the construction of 'good quality' roads did not begin with the invention of the automobile, but rather with the bicycle. At the time, most interurban roads were unpaved and impractical for cycling. The 'Good Roads Movement' was inaugurated in May 1880 to advocate for bicycle enthusiasts, riding clubs, and manufacturers. By 1910, the American Automobile Association (AAA) jumped onboard, along with over one hundred other local and national organizations. 'Road booster' organizations emerged to promote specific, often branded, highways. By the 1920s, about 250 'named' highways, each with their own boosters, crossed the United States. 'Road boosters' still exist, but most disbanded in the 1950s and 60s with the emergence federally funded Interstate Highway System.

The Lafayette Highway Association

The Lafayette Highway Association was founded on January 8, 1925 by 'several progressive men' with the goal of connecting Raleigh, North Carolina, and Savannah Georgia, with a paved highway. Its first meeting took place in Raeford, North Carolina. Once the highway was built (U.S. 15), branch 'offices' opened in numerous cities and towns along the route. These smaller organizations helped fundraise for the association, with most funds used to advertise the highway. The association was dissolved in late 1960 or early 1961 and was replaced by the Highway 15 Association.

Publication History and Census

This map was created and published by the Lafayette Highway Association in 1948. The map is scarce. We note just one other cataloged example, located at Harvard University.