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. Parr’s 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 The Historic National Road series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1831.
Location. 39° 21.87′ N, 77° 9.668′ W. Marker is in Mount Airy, Maryland
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of 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); Civil War 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); Olde Town Restaurant (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 the lower right a photo states, "Residents of Parrsville, Ridgeville, and Mount Airy were employed by the B&O Railroad for generations."
The background of the marker is "National Road at Fairview Inn" which
Photographed By Christopher Busta-Peck
2. Parrsville & Ridgeville Marker
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 March 24, 2024. It was originally submitted on January 24, 2008, by Christopher Busta-Peck of Shaker Heights, Ohio. This page has been viewed 2,547 times since then and 96 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.
