Every brown road sign catches our eye, so naturally we had to pull over when we saw the one for this little place.

Casselman River Bridge is along the old US Route 40 which used to be referred to as the National Road. The road was America’s first federal project, led by Thomas Jefferson in 1806 and dreamed up by George Washington.

The National Road was basically like an old school Route 66. But like, with wagons and probably powdered wigs. Ya know?

It was used for 200 years straight until being made into a pedestrian walkway by Abraham Lincoln. They made it a National Historic Landmark in 1963.

At one point, this little arch bridge was a really big deal and used to be the largest stone arch in the country. They made it tall enough so the boats that they anticipated coming from the C&O Canal could pass under.

Now it’s preserved on four acres of land as a State Park, and it’s one of the oldest bridges we have left.

We walked around the surrounding field and along the little river, and found there was a little village up the hill! So we explored all of the buildings that were restored to look like they did in the 1800’s, and most of the buildings sold crafts and handmade pretty stuff… quilts, glass, pottery, etc.

There was also this super cute old schoolhouse. The dunce cap!

Fernwood Soap was the most adorable shop ever and I couldn’t not pick up a few goodies.

We ended up wandering off the edge of the village and downhill into this swampy area to view the bridge from the other angle. We stumbled upon these two hilarious signs, including this homage to Nick Offerman haha.

The next evening, we came back real quick to nag this geocache, walk in the mud, and admire the bridges one more time on the way back to our campsite.

I wouldn’t plan on making a specific trip out to western Maryland to visit this place – but hey, if you’re in the neighborhood and are looking for a great way to stretch your legs, this is definitely the place for it.

Shout out to this two-course dinner I ate at camp later that night. Mini campfire potatoes forever.

Learn more about Casselman River Bridge State Park:
https://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/pages/western/casselman.aspx

Visit Fernwood Soap:
https://www.thefernwoodsoapshop.com/