 The road's main name is Buchanan Trail in honor of former President James Buchanan, who was born near the road in Cove Gap.The section of the road between Mercersburg and the Maryland border was constructed as part of two 19th-century turnpikes which served as part of a travel route between Pittsburgh and Baltimore.The state took over the road in 1917 and it became a part of the Buchanan Highway, which ran between Mount Union and the Maryland border in Carroll Valley.