New England Tours [Goodrich Route Book]

Early 20th century guide to the roads across New England.

“This map book is presented to the Tourist with the compliments of the B.F. Goodrich Company , Akron, Ohio. It charts the recommended lines of Touring Routes throughout New England. The Routes on which the popular Goodrich Road Marks are erected are accompanied with detail high ways showing intersecting roads, up and down grades, R.R. crossings and the location of every Goodrich Road Marker. City Maps are shown at rear of book, where the route through municipal limits is apt to be confusing. Other routes are incorporated in this book, which have been surveyed for the purpose of sign posting at a later date. It is hoped, too, that The Suggestions For the Care of Tires incorporated herewith, will be found helpful. “ [Foreword].

The B.F. Goodrich Company was founded in Akron, Ohio by Benjamin Franklin Goodrich in 1870. As the first rubber manufacturer west of the Appalachian Mountains, the firm got its start manufacturing hoses and belts for steam equipment and eventually moved into pneumatic bicycle tires. In 1896, the company produced the first pneumatic automobile tires in the United States and a new business segment was born.

To advertise its products to motorists and cyclists alike, as well as to aid in local navigation, Goodrich began created branded signs; first along well-traveled routes in the Midwest but eventually expanding to the entire country. An additional component of the promotional campaign was the distribution of Goodrich Route Books to promote the new marked trails.

First printed in 1912, the pamphlets contain city plans and strip maps of the main roads, as well as pictorial and text advertisements for the company’s products. The location of Goodrich Road Markers are pinpointed throughout and shown on every page.

This example was printed in 1914 and shows the route across New England from New York City to Portland, Maine. An index map is followed by 36 strip maps, 1 double-page route map of southern New England, and 9 city plans.

Sources: McHenry County Department of Transportation; Ohio History Connection