Ridgeville in Mount Airy in Carroll County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Parrsville & Ridgeville
Two Towns at the Four Corners
| | The Historic National Road - The Road That Built The Nation | |
Photographed by Christopher Busta-Peck, March 2, 2008
1. Parrsville & Ridgeville Marker
Here at Milestone 31, about 130 feet southeast of its original location, the Baltimore and Frederick-Town Turnpike created two towns as it moved west. Both Parrsville and Ridgeville are now a part of Mount Airy.
Parrsville, to the east, was named for a nearby spring that creates the headwaters of the Patapsco River, flowing east into Baltimore Harbor. Parrs Spring, an important landmark for early surveyors, is the point of four corners between Carroll, Montgomery, Howard and Frederick Counties.
Just west, Ridgeville is located on an 830-foot tall ridge, the highest point on the National Pike between Baltimore and Braddock Heights. Traveling over this ridge after 1831, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad hitched up horses to pull cars up two inclines on the east side. Brakemen would guide the train rolling down two more inclines on the west side. After a tunnel was constructed in 1901, travel by rail eclipsed travel by road.
Erected by America's Byways.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Roads & Vehicles. In addition, it is included in the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O), and the The Historic National Road series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1831.
Location. This marker has been replaced by another marker nearby.
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Regionally, this marker was in Central Maryland. It was also in the American Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it was in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it found 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 location: A different marker also named Parrsville & Ridgeville (here, next to this marker); First Location of the Mount Airy School (approx. half a mile away); Mount Airy (approx. half a mile away); All Wars Memorial (approx. half a mile away); Pentagon Memorial (approx. half a mile away); The Nicodemus Building (approx. 0.8 miles away); Simpson Hotel (approx. 0.9 miles away); The Flat Iron Building (approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mount Airy.
More about this marker. On the lower left a photo shows "Located at the important crossroads of the National Road and old Route 27 (Mount Airy Main Street), the Eagle/Nelson/Ridgeville Hotel was a landmark for a century."
In the lower center a photo displays, "The old Ridgeville Grange, serving automobiles traveling on the National Road doubled as an old-fashioned mile marker, pointing to both Frederick and Baltimore."
On
Photographed by Christopher Busta-Peck
2. Parrsville & Ridgeville Marker
The background of the marker is "National Road at Fairview Inn" which is the standard for markers in this series. An elevation diagram of the national road is displayed on the bottom of the marker's face.
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. This marker has been replaced with the linked marker. There are differences in the subtitles and attributed erecting organizations.
Photographed by Christopher Busta-Peck, March 2, 2008
3. Marker and Milestone
Photographed by Christopher Busta-Peck, March 2, 2008
4. Marker and Milestone
Photographed by Christopher Busta-Peck
5. Milestone 31 M to B
Credits. This page was last revised on August 1, 2024. It was originally submitted on January 24, 2008, by Christopher Busta-Peck of Shaker Heights, Ohio. This page has been viewed 3,864 times since then and 90 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on March 2, 2008, by Christopher Busta-Peck of Shaker Heights, Ohio. 2. submitted on January 24, 2008, by Christopher Busta-Peck of Shaker Heights, Ohio. 3, 4. submitted on March 2, 2008, by Christopher Busta-Peck of Shaker Heights, Ohio. 5. submitted on January 24, 2008, by Christopher Busta-Peck of Shaker Heights, Ohio. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
