Maryland's Historical Markers

History of Maryland's Roadside Historical Marker Program

In 1921, one in ten Americans owned a car; that number had nearly doubled by 1929. The family car became an American institution. The automobile and the expanding roadway system opened new territory for the American tourist, and roadside markers provided the traveler with regional history.

An increased appreciation for the early years of the nation began around the turn of the twentieth century and was fully under way by the time of the 1932 bicentennial of George Washington's birth. The Maryland General Assembly provided for a George Washington Bi-Centennial Commission to coordinate commemorative activities with the national Commission. Markers were placed by the Daughters of the American Revolution and various county committees to mark the roads Washington had traveled.

The earliest Maryland roadside markers were erected in 1930 and 1931 by the Historical Society of Harford County under the leadership of J. Alexis Shriver. The cast iron markers, which featured the Great Seal of Maryland atop a silver shield with an inscription of raised black letters, set the Maryland roadside marker design standard that continues to this day. Charles County followed with a series of markers in 1932. In 1933 the Maryland State Roads Commission launched a statewide marker program with assistance from the Maryland Historical Society, a private non-profit organization. In 1958 the Maryland Historical Society assumed management of the program, still with the cooperation of the State Roads Commission. The program was transferred to the Maryland Historical Trust in 1985, with assistance and funding provided by the successor to the State Roads Commission, the State Highway Administration. The marker program was revised in 2001 with new standards, criteria and placement guidelines.

Roadside markers flourished with the growth of automobile transportation. Over the program's history, approximately 800 State markers have been erected on Maryland roadways. Markers recall an era when the pace was slower. Through the years, despite increasing traffic and highway speeds, the markers have retained their popularity. The older ones are often of historical interest in their own right.