Old Post Road - Elkton, MD, USA
Posted by: 
bluesnote
N 39° 37.288 W 075° 47.183
18S E 432504 N 4386040
A Maryland historical marker in Elkton, Maryland right on the Mason-Dixon line, only inches away from Newark, Delaware.
Waymark Code: WM199YP
Location: Maryland, United States
Date Posted: 01/04/2024
Views: 7
Photos taken on 4 January 2024. The plaque is on the right side of the old US 40 if you are heading from Elkton to Newark. It is right on the Mason-Dixon line. There's a small shoulder to park and admire the plaque but be careful about cars whizzing by. The plaque is pretty olde and rusted. It does have a DAR emblem on the bottom left.
Settlers on the Welsh tract in 1723 petitioned the New Castle and Cecil County Courts for an improved road from the head of the Elk River to Christina Bridge connecting to a road to New Castle. At the time the only resemblance of a road in the area was an Indian trail that led east and west over the south side of Iron Hill. As the inhabitants moved west from the Delaware River it was necessary for an improved road to be established for the transportation of products from the milling and grain-producing areas of Cecil County to a major shipping center at Christiana and Elkton. The resulting road was known as Old Post Road. Money needed for the repairs was hard to come by so it was incorporated in 1813 as the Elk and Christiana Turnpike, which took until April of 1817 to be completed. The turnpike ran from Christiana to the Maryland line, a distance of seven miles and to pay for its upkeep tolls were collected at Cooch's Bridge and near the intersection of what is now Smalley's Dam Road. The by-laws governing the operation of the turnpike closely followed that of the New Castle and Frenchtown Turnpike, which was the first turnpike in the area. After the establishment of the New Castle and Frenchtown Railroad, the turnpike became a less attractive route for grain and heavy freight; abandoned by the company in 1838 it reverted back to a public road.
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visit link)
DAR Chapter: Captain Jeremiah Baker Chapter D.A.R. Perryville - Cecil County - Maryland
Date Placed: 01/01/1111
Inscription:
Old Post Road
Established 1666
Where it crosses the Mason and
Dixon Line, dividing the States
of Maryland and Delaware.
Run 1763–1767
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Visit Instructions:
- Please provide a photo you have taken of the monument or memorial clearly showing the DAR Marker.
- And please write a little about your visit to the site. Tell us what you thought, did you like it?
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