"5 M To B - Milestones and Mileposts"
Photos by Adam Paul and Steve Okonski
Enormous Thanks to Charlie in California and Frank Brusca for the leads and impetus!

Close your eyes for a few minutes and envision if you can a Baltimore before the presence of the automobile.  This long lost Baltimore is much different from that which we know today, very centrally located near the waterfront, with no Interstates to connect it to the outlying areas and other cities, instead only a few unpaved two lane "Turnpikes" leading to far off lands such as York and Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, Reisterstown, Annapolis and Frederick in Maryland, and that newly established region to the Southwest, accessible by the Columbia Road.

The only means of getting there yourself (aside from the Railroads after the mid-19th Century, or boats to water accessible places) was to get yourself a horse, and perhaps a wagon, and head off on the turnpikes.  It was not exactly quick transportation, but in these days, the pace was a bit more leisurely.  The turnpikes, oftentimes wooded and dense offered little indication of how far a traveller had to venture before reaching their intended destination.  The best indication to the never ending travelling question of "Is it much farther?" lay in a series of markers laid out alongside the turnpikes.  These markers made out of granite, placed on the left (with some exception) as the traveller approached the city, would give a simple indication of just how many more miles lay ahead for the journey.

Since their implementation, dating back to at least the early part of the 19th Century, the old "turnpikes" have witnessed an amazing amount of change.  The end of the 18th Century brought an urban expansion brought about by the streetcar, whose lines created suburbs, and their resulting sprawl.  The early days of the 20th Century saw the debut of the automobile, resulting in the old Turnpikes being widened to accomodate ever increasing traffic.  The result is that the areas surrounding Baltimore of old are a far cry from their appearance during the early to mid 19th Century.

So surely with all the change, one would assume that these old markers have long since vanished in the street widening boom of the 20th Century, right?!?   Not exactly.  Sure, many of the stones have vanished in the sprawl of things, but a handful of these fascinating markers do persist, many times loved and helped along to survive by those who are aware of what they are, and perhaps even by those who mistake them for something entirely different (and perhaps other times discarded, as their surroundings have changed to the point where something resembling a gravestone just doesn't look right in someone's front yard!).  Here's a look at some of the Milestones encountered so far on the old "Turnpikes" into Baltimore.

Click on any outlined photo for a larger, more detailed image (and you'll need to in order to make out many of the engravings):

YORK ROAD


Milepost: Approximate Location (in parentheses when not found but location assumed): Survival State / Notes:
YORK 1 (Greenmount & 21st) Not Yet Researched
YORK 2 (Greenmount & 34th) Not Yet Researched, may even lie on Old York Road
YORK 3 (York & Northway) Not Found, believed to be gone, area occupied by Auto Shop and Storage facilty buit in York Road Car House
YORK 4 (York & Harwood) Not Found, retail and church property
YORK 5 York & Walker EXTANT - See below
YORK 6 (York & La Paix) Not Found, residential and church development
YORK 7 (York & Chesapeake) Not Found, heavily developed commercial district
YORK 8 (York & I-695) Not Found, National Guard quarters and Beltway cloverleaf
YORK 9 York & Seminary EXTANT - See below

First of the markers to be discovered was this one, thanks to a lead from a man named Charlie in that far off land known as California (no, not the one in Calvert County either).  This stone, located on the East side of York Road above Walker Avenue, used to be hidden within some shrubery, but has since emerged to tell the distance to Baltimore once again.  Incidentally, the stone reads "5 M To B."  Travelling inward five miles from this spot will land one at about Greenmount Avenue and Eager Street.
 


Though heavily weathered, one can still decipher the old stone's scribings.

This view shows that the stone probably once suffered the indignity of an automobile collision, as evidenced by the patching on its lower area.
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"Lucky 9" is the only way to describe this hardy survivor on the York Road Corridor, second of the York Road markers found.  This stone sits prominently, almost flush with the inside of the curb on York Road.  With the level of traffic this marker sees daily (it was not even easy to photograph for the busy-ness), it's remarkable that it has not met with less fortuitous fate.  Nine may indeed be the luckiest number among mileposts yet!
 

Though chipped and faded, "York 9's" impressions are remarkably clear. 

York 9's survival is ever more remarkable considering the constant passing of traffic at speeds averaging 40 MPH and more.

FREDERICK (NATIONAL) ROAD
Milepost: Approximate Location (in parentheses when not found but location assumed): Survival State/ Notes:
FREDERICK 1 (Baltimore & Carey) Not Found - long ago developed, and presumed discarded
FREDERICK 2 (Frederick & Franklintown) Not Found, Residential Development, presumed discarded
FREDERICK 3 Frederick & McCurley EXTANT - See Below
FREDERICK 4 Frederick & Beechfield EXTANT - See Below
FREDERICK 5 Frederick & Overbrook EXTANT - See Below
FREDERICK 6 Frederick & St. Timothy's EXTANT - See Below
FREDERICK 7 Frederick & S. Rolling Extant but moved to Catonsville Library
FREDERICK 8 Not Found - Residential Development
FREDERICK 9 Frederick East of Nine Mile Cir. EXTANT - See Below
FREDERICK 10 Main & Maryland - Ellicott City EXTANT
FREDERICK 11 Main West of Rogers EXTANT - See Below

Another marker to survive lies well within current city boundaries.  Interestingly, I used to pass this stone daily long before getting actively involved in artifact hunting.  At the time, I had dismissed it for being someone's solitary gravestone.  It was only after passing it one particular day  that I it caught my eye once again, and I realized just what it was.  Though the number is somewhat obscured, it's a flat headed "3."  This stone lies on the North Side of Frederick Road between Fredhilton Pass and McCurley Street in Irvington, and is very well preserved.  Interestingly, this stone lies facing "New" Frederick Road as opposed to "Old" Frederick Road which is just on the other side of the church, meeting the newer throrofare just a block East.
 


The presence of Frederick Turnpike's "Milestone 3" within a churchyard causes it to be readily mistaken for a gravestone. 

Close inspection of the stone itself, however, clearly reveals just what this remarkable remnant is!
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"Frederick 4" is a little trickier to locate, due to it being set back from the street a bit, and rather obscured by a fence that houses a Cellular Tower.  Regardless, the stone is alive and well in its surroundings...
 

To date, Frederick 4 is the farthest from the streetbed milestone found, though this has probably been beneficial to its survival.

The shadows of the chain link fence distract, but with concentration, the inscription can be deciphered.
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Just inside the present City Limits is "Frederick 5," another of the surviving stones.  Unlike every other stone discovered so far, this stone lies on the right side of the roadway when approaching the City.  The explanation for this is that the stone was probably relocated around the time when the semi-detached housing was constructed on the North Side of Frederick Avenue.  As such, the stone looks more fitting outside the Cemetery, though it appears like the gravestone that escaped to those who may not know just what the stone represents.
 


Frederick 5 could easily be mistaken for a lost gravestone, considering its location outside the National Cemetery on Frederick Road, and considering the lack of quick identification of it as a milestone.

From this location, the stone has watched the construction of detached housing across Frederick Road.  In addition, it has seen travelers to the city by horse, wagon, horsecar, streetcar, and now, by way of the #2 bus.
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Frederick 6 is  probably the most celebrated of all of the "National Road" stones in this area.   Resting outside a Cifco station just to the East of Saint Timothy's Lane, the stone carries with it a marker detailing its origin, and dating the stones on the road to the year 1787.  The Frederick stones may be the oldest of them all, considering that most survivors are badly worn to the point of being illegible, and Frederick 6 is no exception.
 


Frederick 6 is still a frequent stop for travellers on the National Road, thanks to the Fueling Station located behind it.

Frederick 6's face is basically illegible, a far cry from the likes of Frederick 3.

Close up detail of the marker plaque accompanying Frederick 6.
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Frederick 7 is something of a strange bird.  First of all, it is not in its proper location, instead residing in a garden in front of the Catonsville Library.  To complicate things further, the stone's number is crudely reinforced, while the original markings beneath clearly seem to show circular etchings, giving rise to the possibility that this may in fact be Frederick 8?!?

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Frederick 9 stands prominently visible just about 2/10's of a mile East of the Eastern entrance to Nine Mile Circle, slightly west of the intersection of Old Frederick and Frederick.  The stone is in better shape than Frederick 6, but seems to be slightly off placement with the other well calibrated stone, seeming to be set too far West, at least according to the Odometer in my car!
 


The "M" and "To B" are able to be made out, but it seems that the number on Frederick 9 may have had a brush with vandalism. :(

Despite it's proximity to Housing, Frederick 9 appears less like a gravestone than many of it's bretheren.
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Despite it's official location being on Main Street in Ellicott City, I'll continue with the numbering system for Frederick 11, what appears to be Howard County's most inward stone on the National Road. The stone has partially emerged from the ground in the bank West of Rogers Avenue, but still remains well anchored (no, I didn't try to budge it!).  A curiousity search along Old Columbia Pike for an additional MP11 on that diverging thorofare yielded no clues as to wether the old mileage system has offshoots.
 


Compared with Frederick 3, the lettering on Frederick 11 appears to be more crude.  The 11 is at least easily discernable.

Frederick 9 is another of the prominently visible National Road stones that once greeted legions of travelers since the 18th Century.

FALLS ROAD


Milepost: Approximate Location (in parentheses when not found but location assumed): Survival State/ Notes:
FALLS 1 (Falls & North Ave.) Not Found - Believed Discarded
FALLS 2 (Falls @ 29th St. Bridge) Not Found - Believed Discarded
FALLS 3 (Falls & 37th) Not Found - Mixed Development
FALLS 4 (Falls opp. Western H.S.) Not Found - Light Residential Development
FALLS 5 (Falls & Northern Pkwy) Not Found - Gas Station 
FALLS 6 (Falls & Jones Falls) Not Found - Believed Discarded
FALLS 7 Falls & Coppermine EXTANT - See Below
FALLS 8 Falls & Ruxton EXTANT - See Below
FALLS 9 (Falls & Jones Falls) Not Found - Largely undeveloped
FALLS 10 (Falls & Seminary) Not Found - Light Res. Development

While the York and Frederick Roads certainly led to somewhere, Falls Road is interesting in that it basically led out from Baltimore into fields and farms, and little else.  Thus, a casual search of the thorofare was not expected to yield any stones.  On the other hand, unlike most other old routings, much of this route remains at two lanes wide.  Thus, it was thought that if there was any corridor in which milestones could survive, Falls Road would definitely be a candidate.  Thankfully, just this casual search netted a wonderful bonus.  Just North of Old Pimlico Road, opposite Coppermine terrace, lies Falls Road's milestone 7, sitting in the woods as it has done spanning at least 3 centuries.
 


Seemingly shorter than the other known stones is this neat stone, possibly crafted in Marble.

Note the differences in lettering style between this marker and that on Frederick Road.
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Further investigation found another Falls Road milestone, proving that more can be found.  This one lies away from the roadbed a bit, along a historic house in Rockland.  It is visible on the East shoulder of the road just above the Ruxton Road/Old Court Road intersection, and is in splendid shape....
 

The stone and the stone house seem to complement each other perfectly.

Falls 8 certainly has the sharpest inscription between the Falls, York and National Road stones.
PHILADELPHIA ROAD

One would assume that Philadelphia Road would be a hotbed of milestone madness, as most of it remains a simple two lane roadway, yet a search along the thorofare has netted only one sighting, way out in Abingdon.  This stretch of the roadway appears to have had a drainage ditch installed, thus offering likely explanation for the disappearance of any other stones, while this one, Philadelphia 22, appears to have been deliberately spared (and rotated 90 degrees as well).  Still, it's a welcome sight on this old thorofare that will hopefully lead to way to further discoveries.

STILL MORE MILESTONE MADNESS!

This photo comes courtesy of Steve Okonski, and shows that Central Maryland is home to some other interesting milestones as well, and showing that Baltimore is not the only locality to mark miles from.  This unique stone sits in Clarksville at Rt 108 and Great Star Drive just waiting for an SUV to pulverize it (Steve's remark - sad, but true!).  It marks "9 M TO EC" (Ellicott City).

Steve adds:...

A couple of interesting tidbits here: the 9 digit is carved as a mirror image!  One can assume this was accidental, unless backwards 9 was a screwy way to indicate the EC is to the right.  Also, the initials are EC, not EM, so this was after the town changed names from Ellicott's Mills to Ellicott City.

Route 108 was known as Clarksville Pike.  It split from Columbia Pike somewhere near the present day intersection of US 29 and MD 108.  The two Pikes created a fairly straight route between Clarksville and
Ellicott City.   I guess purists don't want to see the markers moved at all.  I can understand that: if you move it, it's not really the same anymore.  The milestone in Clarksville seems to have forced last minute mods to the road design: the striping is not parallel to the curb.  Ironically, this creates driver confusion that will likely
trigger the eventual demise of the marker with help from a big SUV.  Perhaps it should be moved ~10 feet back


Top photo shows just how vulnerable this milestone is, while shot at right shows the unique inscription style.
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