Roads & Routes

When Harriet Tubman crossed the line to freedom in Pennsylvania, she left behind her home in Maryland, along with a life of enslavement. Her native land made Tubman the person she became to history: Underground Railroad conductor, Civil War scout and nurse, suffragist and advocate for the aged and disabled. Authors Phillip Hesser and Charlie Ewers explore the landscape of Tubman's life, from the slave quarters to the churches to the marshes and fields where she worked. Travel to nineteenth-century Dorchester County and search for the places that Harriet Tubman would never know again--some of them now lost to sinking lands and rising waters.

The 200-year-old National Road is often referred to as "The Main Street of America." It was the nation's first federally funded highway and eventually passed through more than 25 cities and towns in Maryland. The 33-mile Maryland portion of the original road was linked with privately constructed turnpikes to extend it to 170 miles in the state. In its early days, the National Road thrived as it helped to open the American West to settlement and commerce. With the rise of railroad transportation in the 1850s, the turnpike became almost obsolete and deteriorated significantly. But the road was rescued in the early 1900s as the increasing popularity of automobile travel led to its revival. In recent years, some of the original structures along the road have been restored, including restaurants, inns, and other commercial establishments. Hostelries and eateries such as the Casselman Inn in Grantsville, the South Mountain Inn between Middletown and Boonsboro, and the Vintage restaurant in New Market draw on their links to the old National Road to attract travelers. Through exhibits and lectures, local civic groups and historical societies continue to memorialize and celebrate the rich history of America's main street--the National Road.

America's Main Street, US Highway 1, Baltimore Avenue, Washington Boulevard--there are many names for the link between Baltimore City and Washington, DC. Connecting residential communities and commercial crossroads clustered along both sides of this historically important artery of transportation, this road has spanned three centuries of transportation, communication, and community development. From the earliest ships in Elkridge and Bladensburg to modern communities supporting the Washington/Baltimore region, Route 1 has been a vital part of this history.

In 1809, Gen. George Washington directed the construction of a military post overlooking the Potomac River to protect the city of Washington from the British. Fort Warburton, as it was originally known, was destroyed in 1814 by its own commanding officer, who ordered the fort's destruction on the approach of the British fleet. A strong community remains, thriving on diversity, economic growth, and its close proximity to the nation's capital. Recently, the citizens of Fort Washington renewed their efforts to preserve history; this dedication is evident in the revitalization of Fort Washington Park under the auspices of the National Park Service. Images for this volume, which date to the birth of photography, were drawn from the National Archives and Records and the Library of Congress, as well as private collections.

Perry Hall Mansion, constructed c. 1775 as the country estate of Harry Dorsey and Prudence Carnan Gough, has long been considered one of the most historic structures in Baltimore County, Maryland. Nestled on a ridge overlooking the lush forest of the Gunpowder River Valley, the mansion has played host to a number of crucial events in both local history and the emergence of Methodism in the United States. Since its completion, the house has claimed 14 different principal owners, culminating with its transfer to public ownership in 2001. Each of the families who lived there left behind unique legacies. Materials contained in Perry Hall Mansion depict the evolving use of the building and grounds and demonstrate how this progression reflected changing conditions within Maryland generally.

Revisit the former U.S. Naval Training Center at Bainbridge, MD by viewing photos of long closed PX, and silent drill fields... up to 350,000 sailors trained here once!

After the federal government purchased the Tome School for Boys in the northeasternmost county of Maryland in 1941, more than 1,200 acres were cleared for the United States Naval Training Center, Bainbridge. Preparing 350,000 sailors for battle in World War II, Bainbridge became a city in itself, with a PX, officer's club, chapel, post office, drill fields, indoor pools, and hospital. Because of the training center, Cecil County's population more than doubled. After 1976, when the center fell into disuse, the buildings were demolished. They live on, though, through the vintage photographs in this volume, collected from the archives of the Paw Paw Museum, the USNTC Bainbridge Museum, the U.S. Navy, and historic yearbooks and guidebooks. Images of America: United States Naval Training Center, Bainbridge aids in the efforts to preserve the center's memory for veterans and their families.

According to Gov. Robert L. Ehrich Jr., "[The Maryland State
Fair] is an annual opportunity as Marylanders to come together to celebrate the history, tradition, and charm of our State during the best days of summer." The Maryland State Fair has continued the tradition of delighting Marylanders near and far since the late 1800s. Hosting governors to 4-H'ers, farm animals to farm hands, home arts to computer arts, the fair has always promised something for everyone. Fair favorites such as the sweet, intoxicating scent of warm cotton candy and the heartthundering excitement and majesty of Thoroughbred racing were as much a part of the Maryland State Fair 125 years ago as they are today. Readers can find it all in The Maryland State Fair: Celebrating 125 Years.

In Colonial times, as the Chesapeake Bay and larger rivers became vital shipping channels, the need arose to mark Maryland's dangerous shoals and waterways. Lighthouses sprang up throughout the 1800s and early 1900s, including wood-framed cottages placed upon screw pile foundations that stood offshore in the unforgiving waters. Most of these unique structures did not survive, lost tragically to ice that also occasionally claimed the lives of the keepers who faithfully tended them and rescued mariners in trouble. With the advent of electricity and GPS, many beacons succumbed to vandalism and neglect, leaving a fraction remaining.

Through the lens of over 200 vintage images, uncover the history and contributions made at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.

Situated in southeastern Harford County and edged by the Chesapeake Bay and the Bush and Gunpowder Rivers, the U.S. Army bases known as Aberdeen Proving Ground, Edgewood Arsenal, and Fort Hoyle have been home to ordnance, chemical, technology, and artillery commands. The photographs in this volume include scenes of the fertile farmlands of Aberdeen, Edgewood, and Michaelsville, and their transformation, which began in 1917, into the military base known today as Aberdeen Proving Ground, or APG. Views of daily life on base include the ""Toonerville"" Trolley, a small-scale train that shuttled commuting personnel between the main gate and the buildings on post. The images document changes in the ways wars have been fought and changes in society as a result of war. Brave officers voluntarily tested the effects of mustard agent and other chemical weapons on protective clothing and gas masks. Local women sewed gas masks for troops and civilians. Women moved into key jobs on base during World War II, manufacturing and maintaining tanks and weapons systems as the need for great numbers of troops depleted the workforce of civilian males. APG scientists led the way into the computer age when they developed ENIAC, the first electronic digital computer.

In 1947, The Crisfield Times published an editorial prompting an annual crab derby, a sort of Kentucky Derby spotlighting one of Crisfield's greatest natural resources: the Chesapeake Bay blue crab. The next year, the National Hard Crab Derby began. Since that brief crab race in front of the Crisfield Post Office in 1948, the annual Labor Day weekend event has grown into one of the most recognized festivals in the United States. The entire country participates each year through the Governor's Cup crab race, and all eyes are on contestants as they attempt to break world records in crab picking and boat docking. Champion chefs from throughout the Eastern Seaboard hone their skills during the annual crab cooking contest. Skiff races recall days of the past when work boats sped in from Tangier Sound to sell their day's catch to the area's seafood packers. And Crisfield may be the only city in America where little girls grow up with the dream of someday being called Miss Crustacean!