Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826 to Eli Williams, Thomas Moore, and Joseph Kerr

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02148 Author/Creator: Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826 Place Written: Monticello, Virginia Type: Letter signed Date: 6 August 1808 Pagination: 1 p. : Height: 24 cm, Width: 19 cm Order a Copy

President Jefferson writes to the commissioners of the Cumberland Road about reexamining its route from Washington, Pennsylvania, to Wheeling, Pennsylvania. Explains that "the principal object of this road is a communication directly westwardly if however inconsiderable deflections from this course will benefit particular places and better accommodate travellers, these are circumstances to be taken into consideration." Written as president.

Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826
Kerr, Joseph, 1765-1837
Williams, Eli, fl. 1806-1808
Moore, Thomas, fl. 1806-1808

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