Early Transportation Routes

Early Transportation Routes (HM2VU)

Location: Lancaster, PA 17603 Lancaster County
Buy Pennsylvania State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 40° 2.282', W 76° 18.355'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 576 views
Inscription
King Street
Throughout Lancaster City's history, king Street has been a major throughfare between Philadelphia and points west. In 1733 work commenced on the King's Highway, now Route 340. This highway began at the square extended eastward on King Street and continued on to Philadelphia. Although the highway improved travel between Lancaster and Philadelphia, the dirt roadbed became impassable in inclement weather. In 1792 the State chartered the Philadelphia-Lancaster Turnpike Company which built the Philadelphia-Lancaster Turnpike, a part of the present-day U.S.30 and the first turnpike in the United States. The new route was constructed with a hard, macadam surface, making it passable year round.
Unfortunately, King Street itself was not surfaced, and continued to be dusty in dry weather and a sea of mud in wet weather. To avoid taxing citizens for paving the street, Lancaster received permission from the State Legislature to hold a lottery to raise $20,000. The drawing took place on May 1, 1802: First prize was $1,000, with second prize being $500; more than four thousand other prizes were awarded. On May 28th, paving began from the Conestoga River extending westward to the square.
In order to accommodate travellers, stagecoaches left Lancaster for points east and west. in the mid-eighteenth century, a traveller going to Philadelphia would catch Matthias Slough's dispatch stage line at the White Swan Hotel at 5:00 a.m. and would arrive in Philadelphia that evening.
Details
HM NumberHM2VU
Tags
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Monday, October 13th, 2014 at 7:57am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18T E 388587 N 4432795
Decimal Degrees40.03803333, -76.30591667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 40° 2.282', W 76° 18.355'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds40° 2' 16.92" N, 76° 18' 21.30" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)717
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 5TH Lincoln Highway, Lancaster PA 17603, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. What year was the marker erected?
  9. Who or what organization placed the marker?
  10. This marker needs at least one picture.
  11. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  12. Is the marker in the median?