The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1941-02-27
GROWING
PAINS
Maryland, Mother of Roads
By MARIE O'DEA


interest to the people of this State.
For Maryland is the only State in the
Union traversed by the three original
colonial highways, the Kings High
way or the Great Northern-Southern
Post Road, the Great Eastern Road
which is now N. S. l, and the National
Pike, now U. S. 40.
Three centuries ago the Indians
slipped silently over those Maryland
trails stalking the elk and the buffalo.
The white men who had just founded
this colony, in 1884, had come by way
of the ocean to the shores of the
Chesapeake, and the water reaches of
Bay and river remained their only
highways for a quarter of a century.
The sea, though deep and broad and
formidable, was their sole link with
their mother-country and they hest
tated to venture away from it. They
had far more intercourse with Europe
than with their neighboring colonies.
Consequently, all the early trans
potation laws in Maryland concerned
the establishment and maintenance of
ports of entry, harbors and landings.
About 81 years after the founding
Of Maryland, in May, 1861, the AS
sembly passed law providing that
official letters "shall without delay be
sent from howse to howse, the direct
way till they DE safely delivered as
directed" Indian trails thus became
white mems foot-paths and soon
broadened so that a horseback rider
or pack horse could get through the
forest, though with considerable diff
ficulty.
Within five years, in 1866, the As
sembly passed an act "for the making
of high wages & making the heads of
Rivers, Creekes, Branches and
Swamps passable for horse and
foote."
All taxable pesons were required to
work on the roads or pay fines in to-
bacco, and overseers were appointed
to carry out all these provisions. I'm
derbrush and trees were cleared away,
some of the marshes drained and
standing trees notched to point out
the road.
In May 1895, the Assembly APP
pointed John Perry as post rider to
carry the mails ''betwixt Potomack
and Philadelphia" eight times year
at the annual salay of so pounds ster-
| ling with no tips on the side. The
route was 'to begin at Newtons Point
upon Wiccocomaco River in Potomack
& thence to go to Aliens Mill from
Aliens Mills, to Benedict Leonard
Town over Petuxant River to Mr.. Lin
gans, from Mr.. Lingans, to Mr.. Lar
kins, and so to South River and An
napolis formerly Ann Arundel from
thence to Kent & so to William Stadt
formerly Oxford and from thence to
New Castle & so directly to Philadel-
phia & Returne the same Way back
again to Potomack."
The road to civilian Stadt" had al
ready been blazed by four notches on
the standing trees. In 1904 it was
widened to 20 feet. to accommodate
wheeled carts that had just made
their appearance in America. 1t was
only step then to the stage coaches
carrying both mail and passengers.
About this time the western shore
above Elk Ridge Landing and Annap-
oils began to develop on a par with
the eastern shore. In 1927 the post
riders started going up one shore and
coming down the other.
Thus began the Great Eastern Road
on which, two years later, December
1, 1929, Baltimore Towne was found
ed. From that time on, the Great
Easten Road grew in popularity at
the expense of its older rival, the
Kings Highway or Great Northern
and Southen Post Road.
Stage coaches passing along this
route stopped every ten or twelve
miles to change horses exhausted by
the furious drive over the rough and
rutted road. Passengers We're fire.
quently warned to lean to the right
or "to the left" to keep the coach up
right but often this maneuver failed
the coach turned over and dumped the
passengers out on the highway. They
arrived at the taverns, bruised and
injured, but hungry for the plain fare
inelegantly served. At night they
were accommodated" in crowded
sleeping rooms.
Despite all these hardships, the col
onists were becoming accustomed to
travelling by land, and their steps be-
gan to turn westward, again follow
ing Indian trails. Later, from the
Revolutionary period up through the
War of 1872, British depredations on
the American water-borne traffic
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