Maryland’s Historic National Road

Casselman Bridge on the National Road in Garrett County, Maryland.

Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, where you’ll find shopping, fine dining and walking among area attractions.

Photo courtesy G. Edward Johnson and Wikimedia Commons CC BY 3.0.

Follow the story of an enduring heritage – trace the nation’s oldest road across Maryland’s diverse landscape, from Baltimore in the east to the mountains in the west – Maryland’s Historic National Road. The National Road (also known as the Cumberland Road) was the first major improved highway in the United States built by the federal government. Built between 1811 and 1837, the 620-mile road connected the Potomac and Ohio Rivers and was a main transport path to the West for thousands of settlers.

Baltimore to Frederick

Begin at water’s edge in the Inner Harbor area, where you’ll find shopping, fine dining and walking among harborside attractions. Then follow Lombard Street on the first portion of the National Road – originally known as the Baltimore National Pike – through several historic neighborhoods, including Union Square, which journalist H.L. Mencken called home. Your next stop is the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum, located inside a beautifully restored roundhouse. Visit the birthplace of American railroading and see the most important American railroad collection in the world. Seasonal train rides are offered. The collection is housed in the original, eye-catching roundhouse built in 1884.

Further west of the city is Catonsville, which was developed in 1810 and became a favorite for summer homes when linked to downtown Baltimore by electric trolley lines. Before crossing the Patapsco River, drive through the charming little town of Oella, which contains the Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum, dedicated to the African-American mathematician who helped calculate Washington, D.C.’s boundaries. This 142-acre homestead honors the land and legacy of a Free African-American man who lived during the 1700s. Beyond the Patapsco River, Ellicott City has antique shops and unique restaurants in historic buildings. This old mill town features America’s oldest surviving railroad station, the B & O Railroad Station Museum, as well as Thomas Isaac’s Log Cabin, which served as a National Road way station. The railroad station was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1968. Next comes Mount Airy. Formerly a railroad and turnpike town, it now features an interesting concentration of vineyards that are open for tours and picnics. This area is also popular for its boutiques and antiques, more of which you will find down the road in New Market.

Frederick to Hagerstown

Downtown Frederick is the hub from which charming Main Street communities, romantic accommodations and inspirational attractions fan out like the spokes of a wagon wheel. Two centuries of architecture are represented at numerous homes and public buildings, including the Barbara Ritchie House and the National Museum of Civil War Medicine. Here you can immerse yourself in exhibits illustrating the story of the patients, caregivers and medical innovations of American Civil War. It offers educational programs, guided tours and a museum store. The town also features entertainment ranging from theatrical productions to minor-league baseball. At the end of a long day, one of Frederick’s inns or bed and breakfasts is a welcome sight. As you head out beyond Braddock Heights and the farming village of Middletown, consider making time for a sidetrack into Washington Monument State Park for a hike on the Appalachian Trail to the first monument erected in George Washington’s honor. The Cumberland Valley offers superb birdwatching opportunities The park is located along a noted migratory bird flyway, so bring your binoculars. In Boonsboro, the not-to-be-missed National Road Museum, features exhibits on traveling the National Road in its heyday and the movement to expand and populate America’s untamed West. Continuing west,

Locomotives and passenger cars in the roundhouse at the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum, Baltimore.

the farmland of Funkstown is dotted with Pennsylvania-Dutch bank barns and smaller Englishstyle structures.

Hagerstown to Cumberland

So many early railroad lines were linked into Hagerstown that it earned the nickname “Hub City”. The C&O Canal also flowed through this area, whose towpath trail now draws legions of bicyclists and hikers. The town itself — featuring the South Prospect Street Historic District — has a Roundhouse Museum among several other sites dedicated to preserving local history, including the Jonathan Hager House Museum. Hagerstown highlights include The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts and the Hagerstown Cultural Trail, featuring work from internationally recognized artists. Traveling along U.S. 40 toward Clear Spring, look for the Wilson Bridge Neighborhood Park, a small waterfront park that offers a fine view of the five stone arches that support the 210-foot-long Wilson Bridge. Dating back to 1819, it’s the oldest and longest bridge of its kind in Washington County. It is also

The Washington Monument.

Photo courtesy Patrick Gillespie and Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0.

the site of the 160-year-old Wilson Country School and Store. Take a sidetrack south along MD 56 to Fort Frederick State Park. Based in Big Pool, the fort was the cornerstone of Maryland’s defense more than 250 years ago during the French & Indian War. Next is Hancock, where the C & O Canal National Historical Park offers a deeper exploration of canal life. After a climb up Sideling Hill, which was the scene of many stagecoach mishaps due to the steep turns, you’re ready for a relaxing round of golf amid the ridges and valleys of Rocky Gap Casino Resort, followed by a satisfying stay there or in Cumberland. Cumberland, like Hagerstown, was a transportation crossroads with ties to highway, railroad and canal transportation, and is now just as popular for its galleries, theaters and museums. Live theater, steam train, the western terminus of the C&O Canal and an outdoor mountain life found only in the Alleghenies. Small town charm with a history that dates to 1787. Take a steam engine train ride on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad. Climb 1,291 vertical feet from Cumberland to Frostburg through the Alleghany Mountains. Murder mystery trains, caboose rides, cab rides, hand on the throttle. Or take

Terminus of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal in Cumberland. The highway bridge is Interstate 68. Canal Place Museum is the brick building behind bridge.

Photo courtesy Bonnachoven and Wikimedia Commons.

Downtown Hagerstown.

an exhilarating bike ride on the Great Allegheny Passage Rail Trail to Frostburg, site of a nationally known carriage museum. In LaVale, the route passes Maryland’s National Toll Gate House, outside of which a plaque still displays the cost for wagons, animals and pedestrians to pass. It is the only remaining toll gate on the National Road in Maryland. The toll house is a historical site that is open to visitors at all times. Interpretive signage is available on site and guests can peer inside the toll house to sneak a peek of eras ago. Conestoga wagons once crossed the Casselman River Bridge, a single-span, stone-arch structure built for the National Road near Grantsville.

The 80-ft. stone arch bridge was the largest of its kind when constructed in 1813. Located along the National Road, it linked Cumberland with the Ohio River. The bridge now connects a state park to the Spruce Forest Artisan Village, site of a former stagecoach stop. The village serves as a cultural center promoting local arts, crafts and music from the Appalachian Mountain region of Maryland. U.S. 40 Alternate then winds through the northern section of Savage River State Forest and over Keysers Ridge to the Mason-Dixon Line. It is the largest state forest with more than 54,000 acres; approximately 12,000 acres designated wild lands. Camping, fishing, hunting, four-wheeler and snowmobile trails are available.

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Rocky Gap Casino Resort