Bluemont in Loudoun County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Snickersville Turnpike
Originally an Iroquois hunting trail, it became by 1786 the first recorded operating turnpike in America, praised by Thomas Jefferson. In 1810 the Virginia Assembly chartered the Snickers Gap Turnpike Company, authorizing three toll gates between Aldie and Snickers Gap: horse 3 cents; 20 cattle 12½ cents; four-wheel carriage 12½ cents. A toll booth operated on the Blue Ridge Mountain until 1915. The Turnpike today is a Virginia Byway overlooking the same landscape George Washington traveled between 1748 and 1788, often stopping at West's Ordinary near Aldie and Edward Snickers' inn and ferry on the Shenandoah River.
Erected by Snickersville Turnpike Association.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Industry & Commerce • Roads & Vehicles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1786.
Location. 39° 6.667′ N, 77° 50.07′ W. Marker is in Bluemont, Virginia, in Loudoun County. It is at the intersection of Snickersville Turnpike (Virginia Route 734) and Clayton Hall Road ( Route 760), on the right when traveling east on Snickersville
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area and in Northern Virginia. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Bluemont (here, next to this marker); Bluemont Historic District (a few steps from this marker); The Snickersville Academy (within shouting distance of this marker); The Lives And Times Of The Snickersville Academy (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); a different marker also named Snickersville Turnpike (approx. 0.4 miles away); Mt. Airy Fight (approx. Ύ mile away);
Other markers no longer nearby. Crook and Early (was approx. Ύ mile away but has been confirmed missing); Forerunner of Wireless Telegraphy (was approx. Ύ mile away but has been confirmed missing); Clark County / Loudoun County (was approx. Ύ mile away but has been confirmed missing).
Credits. This page was last revised on January 27, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 11, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 735 times since then and 50 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 11, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
