This cache is located at at Mile Marker 14 on the Old National Road. It was placed to bring Geocachers to the historical plaque, plaza, and pavilion that was installed in the summer of 2021. It's a quick grab and go with a history lesson and a visit to a 200+ year old marker listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Log only. Bring your own pen. Park down the dead end street just past Pine Orchard Liquors at 10281 Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City, MD.
The initial segment of the Old National Road was the Baltimore & Fredrick-Town Turnpike Road that was begun in 1805. It ran 45 miles from the Baltimore courthouse to Frederick, MD. Mile Markers were spaced one mile apart and placed on the north side of the National Pike, primarily MD Route 144, but also found along sections of U.S. Route 40, Alt. U.S. Route 40, MD Route 165, and "Scenic 40" west of Hancock. Owned by the state of Maryland on the edge of the right-of-way, the remaining milestone are completely accessible to the public. Dimensions of the stones vary from section to section. Generally they are about 12 inches wide, 8 inches deep, and project about 30 inches above grade. The distance is shown on the side of the stone facing the road; "14 M to B" (14 Miles to Baltimore). The other three faces bear no inscription. The stone material also varies. The first 39 stones are of Baltimore gneiss from the Ellicott City area. From West Friendship through Frederick to Boonesboro, the material is quartzite, plentiful along the Monocacy River. From Boonesboro to Funkstown, a very white limestone was used and also a different stone cutters whose lettering is very distinctive. West of Hagerstown, the stones are of a gray limestone. Sixty-nine stones remained on the route at the time of nomination to the National Register.
For more information about the mile markers, visit the Old National Road Mile Markers entry at Waymarking.com.
Note: Mystery Cache GC145EM placed by MD Crab starts at this location with a projection. My cache does not replace theirs. Check it out.