WELCOME 1940's Pennsylvania State Road Maps BOTTOM

The Pennsylvania Turnpike opened in 1940, the first four lane limited access highway in the United States. It ran from Irwin near Pittsburgh to Middlesex just west of Harrisburg and was built largely on the right-of-way of an abandoned rail line. The turnpike was modeled after the autobahns constructed in Germany in the 1930's (by the Nazis!). The covers from this decade were very attractive drawings.


1940 This map repeats the 1939 cover design, although the map is updated.
1941 The lady sewing the flag is, of course, Betsy Ross of Philadelphia.
  1942 No official map issued during the war years.
1943 The 1943 map is identical to 1941 except for a sticker bearing the name of the new governor Edward Martin, who took office in January, 1943. He slapped a sticker with his name on the old 1941 map and reissued it.
  1944 No official map issued.
  1945 No official map issued.
1946 This is a drawing of Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
1947 The new governor James Duff, who took office in January, 1947, did the same thing Martin had done in 1943. He slapped a sticker with his name on the 1946 map and reissued it. There was a later printing of this map which left the date off the cover.
1948 This cover is a drawing of the state capitol at Harrisburg.
1949 This is an attractive cover drawing. The artist, alas, is not identified.
State Road Maps 1910's 1920's 1930's 1940's
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Copyright 2000-2008 by Harold Cramer. All rights reserved.
Last revised: December 17, 2007.