Reisterstown in Baltimore County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
From the Great Wagon Road to Main Street
Photographed by Carl Gordon Moore Jr., March 15, 2025
1. From the Great Wagon Road to Main Street Marker
Main Street has been known by many names: Great Wagon Road, Conewago Road, Reisterstown and Baltimore Turnpike and Reisterstown Road.
John Reister bought more than 100 acres along this road in the 1750s and 1760s. He built a house and tavern and sold lots to encourage growth. Before his death in 1804, he gave land and houses to his children. Reister's-Town took shape.
By the late 1800s, Main Street was the commercial hub for surrounding farming communities. Goods once shipped up and down the turnpike now went by the Western Maryland Railroad. Electric streetcars shortened travel time beween Reisterstown and Baltimore. Later, the automobile would reshape Reisterstown as a suburban bedroom community -- albeit one anchored by its historic Main Street.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1760.
Location. 39° 27.767′ N, 76° 49.694′ W. Marker is in Reisterstown, Maryland, in Baltimore County. It is on Main Street (Maryland Route 140), on the right when traveling west. Touch for map.
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Regionally, this marker is in Central Maryland. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic and in the Chesapeake Bay Region. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Becoming Reisterstown (within shouting distance of this marker); Buffalo Soldiers (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); John and Margaret Reister (about 700 feet away); Oldest High School in Baltimore County (approx. 0.2 miles away); Colonel William Norris (approx. 0.2 miles away); Hannah More Academy (approx. 0.9 miles away); Railroad Ave (approx. one mile away); Glyndon Station (approx. one mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Reisterstown.
Photographed by Carl Gordon Moore Jr., March 15, 2025
2. From the Great Wagon Road to Main Street Marker
A more distant view.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 17, 2025, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. This page has been viewed 208 times since then and 31 times this year. Last updated on June 10, 2025, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1. submitted on March 17, 2025, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. 2. submitted on March 18, 2025, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. Transcription of the marker's photo captions. • Can you help?
