Conclusion Baltimore County Historical Society, 1978. Hrastar, John. Breaking the Appalachian Barrier: Maryland Volume 12, No. 3 Fall 2019 The Baltimore-Reisterstown Turnpike was a as the Gateway to Ohio and the West, 1750-1850. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co., 2018. significant infrastructure project that Klein, Frederick Shriver. “Jeffersonians in Local Politics eventually provided a major artery between Along the Pennsylvania-Maryland Border,” Baltimore and Pittsburgh. The road and others Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies of its era accommodated the needs of 24 (1957). Piedmont merchant millers like the Shrivers Riley, G. Donald, Jr. David Shriver, 1735-1826: Pioneer and Patriot of Piedmont Maryland. Westminster, MD: who were anxious to join a growing industrial- Historical Society of Carroll County, 2003. based economy that required the ready Shriver Family Papers, 1774-1957. MS 2085, Box 1. movement of labor and products across great Baltimore: Maryland Historical Society. Shriver, Samuel S. History of the Shriver Family and their distances. Although some portions of the THE ROAD MOST TRAVELED: THE SHRIVERS AND THE TURNPIKE turnpike have been bypassed with modern Connections. Baltimore: Guggenheimer, Weil & Co., 1888. four-lane highways, other sections continue to Sioussat, St. George Leakin. “Highway Legislation in BY SAMUEL M. RILEY follow the turnpike’s original route, winding Maryland and Its Influence on the Economic through Westminster and Union Mills. As part Development of the State,” 120-21, Part III, Report on ntil recently, almost 26,000 drivers a day of an expanding web of Maryland’s early road the Highways of Maryland by the Maryland Geological Survey. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press, 1899. passed by a lonely milestone perched improvements, the turnpike had a lasting U Sky, Theodore. The National Road and the Difficult Path to along Maryland Route 97 north of impact on Carroll County and helped realize Sustainable National Investment. Newark: University of Westminster. Most were unaware of the stone the dreams of a new nation. Delaware Press, 2011. and the history of the roadway it marked or its direct ties to Carroll County’s Shriver family. Selected Sources: This early 19th-century highway, known originally as the Baltimore-Reisterstown 1822 stock certificate issued to stockholders in the Westminster, Taney-town, and Emmitsburg turnpike Act of January 12, 1805, Chapter LI, 1804 Md. Laws 211. Turnpike, provided an important link between road. Selling stock was a common way to privately fund Brugger, Robert J. Maryland, A Middle Temperament, 1634 rapidly growing settlements along the new roads in the early 19th century. (HSCC collection) -1980. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, About the Author: Maryland-Pennsylvania border and the 1988. Samuel M. Riley is a Maryland attorney practicing in the Dowd, Mary Jane. “The State in the Maryland Economy: expanding port of Baltimore. Its construction improvement to accommodate growing wagon area of civil litigation. A 1985 graduate of Washington not only spurred economic growth for farms, traffic foundered. Early government records 1776-1807.” Maryland Historical Magazine 57 (March and Lee University, he earned his J.D. from the 1962). University of Maryland School of Law. He is active in mills, and businesses along the route but also document petitions to the county courts for Durrenberger, Joseph Austin. Turnpikes: A Study of the historic preservation matters and local nonprofit fostered westward migration and expansion as road projects, but local initiatives to address Toll Road Movement in the Mid-Atlantic States and organizations, serving as President of the Union Mills it connected with other roads to Pittsburgh and such concerns were generally unsuccessful. Maryland. Cos Cob, CT: John E. Edwards, 1931, 1968. Homestead Foundation and as a board member of the Gallatin, Albert. “Report of the Secretary of the Treasury the Ohio River. Maryland Regimental Artillery Association and the on the Subject of Public Roads and Canals” 60. In January 1805, Maryland’s General Assembly Historic Shriver Graveyard, Inc., and maintaining life Washington, DC, 1808. membership in the Historical Society of Carroll County. Building Maryland’s Turnpikes: An passed an act authorizing the incorporation of Hollifield, William. Difficulties Made Easy: History of the Innovative Public-Private Partnership three companies to build turnpikes that later Turnpikes of Baltimore City and County. Cockeysville: became known as the Frederick, York, and Maryland’s roads in the late 18th century were Reisterstown Roads. The Baltimore and © 2019 PUBLICATION COMMITTEE MEMBERS: in poor condition. According to historian Reisterstown Turnpike Company was created The Historical Society of Carroll County, Maryland, Inc. Frank J. Batavick, editor 210 East Main Street Robert Brugger, travelers described them as “for making a turnpike road from Baltimore, Mary Ann Ashcraft Westminster, Maryland 21157 “frightful, miserable, and worst in the union.” Catherine E. Baty through Reister’s-town, to the Pennsylvania Phone: 410-848-6494 Samuel T. Brainerd In many instances, they were little more than line towards Hanover-town, and through Email: [email protected] Website: www.HSCCmd.org Eleanor S. Darcy trails established by Native Americans with Westminster to the Pennsylvania line towards James E. Lightner Sharon B. Schuster notched trees to guide the way. Scholar Joseph Petersburgh, as shall be agreed upon by a Austin Durrenberger wrote, “steep grades, majority of the stockholders.” The road was to deep ruts and seas of mud were the cause of be funded by private capital through the sale Frank J. Batavick, Chair, Board of Trustees chronic complaint.” Initial efforts at of stock. The term “turnpike” meant that it was to be a toll road with a gate mill into the new road near the Shriver’s son William, also prospered. The mill (“turnpike”) used to block travel head of Little Pipe Creek.” was converted into a roller mill in the early Marking the Road until tolls were paid. Would the new turnpike follow 1880s, among the first in Maryland. William The Act of 1805 required the turnpike this established path? The Shriver’s son, B.F. Shriver, eventually formed a companies to “cause milestones to be placed The shift to private capital to Shrivers, namely David and sons business at the site to can local farm produce. at the side of the said road or roads, improve Maryland roads paid Andrew and David, Jr., had The operation grew into the B.F. Shriver beginning at the distance of one mile from the dividends. By early 1808, U.S. another plan in mind. Company, with factories in six locations bounds of the city of Baltimore, and extending Treasury Secretary Albert including Union Mills and Westminster. By thence to the termination of each or either of Gallatin observed that work on A Shriver Family Affair 1921, the company farmed over 5,000 acres and the said respective roads, whereon shall be the turnpikes extending out had an annual production capacity of over a marked, in plain legible characters, the from Baltimore was “rapidly The ultimate route of the million cases of canned goods. respective number of miles which each stone progressing.” They were among turnpike reflects the influence of is distant from the city of Baltimore.” The the first improved U.S. roads to the Shriver family. It exercised a David Shriver, Jr.’s Legacy turnpike companies were also to post similar considerable degree of political signage wherever tolls where collected. use modern engineering. The Portrait of David Shriver, Sr., by legislation had specified an Jacob Maentel, c.1800. power as one of the most The Baltimore-Reisterstown Turnpike Several milestones still exist along the “artificial Road” that was (HSCC collection) prominent German-speaking cemented David Shriver, Jr.’s reputation as a Baltimore-Reisterstown Turnpike’s route. “bedded with wood, stone, or families in Maryland at the respected civil engineer and road construction One is particularly well-preserved and until th manager. In January 1810 he was named a gravel, or any other hard substance, well beginning of the 19 century and was actively recently was visible along Route 97 north of compacted together, a sufficient depth to involved in the state’s affairs—including the commissioner for a turnpike between Westminster, just above Magna Way. The secure a solid foundation. and so nearly routing of early roads. Westminster and Hagerstown. The next year, marker, Milestone 31, is clearly marked “31 M level in its progress as that it shall in no place through the intercession of his brother Andrew TO B.” The State Highway Administration rise or fall more than will form an angle of four David Shriver, Sr., (1735-1826) rose from during a trip to Washington, DC, David was (SHA) removed the milestone in May, 2019 as degrees.” Gallatin reported the “Reisters- humble origins to play a leading role in selected as Superintendent of Construction for part of a road-widening project in the area Town” Turnpike “is 24 feet wide, is covered Maryland’s early state government. Born to the National Road, from Cumberland to adjacent to Carroll County Regional Airport. with a stratum 12 inches thick, of pounded German immigrants in the remote Conewago Wheeling—the first federally-funded interstate Once the road project is complete, the SHA stones not more than 3 inches in diameter.” settlement near present-day Hanover, PA, highway in the United States. will re-install Milestone 31 in a safer location east of the original spot. When completed, the new road was one of the Shriver cleared and settled a tract of land at best in the country. the juncture of Little Pipe Creek and Cobb’s Among the notable improvements associated Branch in 1760, in what was then Frederick with Shriver’s work on the National Road At the time it was proposed, the Baltimore- County, MD. He married Rebecca Ferree the was the construction of the Casselman River Reisterstown pike was to start in Baltimore following year, and this property became the Bridge in Grantsville, MD.