Turnpike Stone?
Long before automobiles sped along this corridor and synthetic materials were used for highway signs, mileage signs were literally carved in stone! Although it has worn away over time, hand-chiseled letters and numbers once read 35 M To B, and meant 35 miles to Baltimore. This tradition dates back over 2000 years to the road builders of the Roman Empire, and it continued in 19th century America. Forty-five markers were placed along the turnpike from Baltimore to Frederick, one mile apart, primarily on the north side of the road. Mile stones were a welcome sign for a weary traveler plodding along at a slow pace in a horse-drawn carriage or wagon. Heavily laden wagons often covered only a few miles a day. Although built to last, the permanency of some mile stones has been usurped by road improvements that accommodated modern travelers. Only a few remain in their original places.They could be either mile-markers or directional signs for the traveler.
