In my recent research on early Chicago roads, I came across references to “Nicolson Pavement.” A little internet search brought me to this page, where the University of Michigan has placed the full text of over 10,000 books on line. This is a great resource, named the Making of America (MOA) Book collection, that I intend to explore further. The book that this drawing is from is titled The Nicolson Pavement, published in 1859.
Samuel Nicolson of Boston came up with several methods for paving streets with wood blocks that were secured in place by a mixture of pebbles and pine tar. The book indicates that the first use of Nicolson pavement in Chicago was on Wells Street south of the Chicago River in 1856.
I had never heard of Nicolson Pavement so that was what caught my eye but the MOA book collection looks to be a great resource. Thanks for mentioning both.
Last night, Geoffrey talked about the wooden block streets on his latest effort, “Hidden Chicago.” I’d never heard of wooden blocks before.