8-04-2023 4:10am

ROADSIDE MARKERS:

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Maryland Roadside
Historical Markers

Maryland has been installing cast metal Historical Markers along state roads signs since 1930. The popularity of the automobile, along with a renewed interest in history during the early 20th century, stimulated state agencies to form partnerships to fund a marker program. Today, the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT), in partnership with the Maryland Historical Trust (MHT), reviews marker applications while the MDOT State Highway Administration (SHA) funds, installs, and maintains the markers along state roads and property. Applications for new markers are solicited from the public twice a year, and up to ten new markers are fabricated and installed by MDOT SHA throughout the year.

History of the Maryland Roadside Historical Marker Program

Maryland Roadside Historical Markers include a pole mounted, cast metal shield painted silver with black lettering across the shield body, and the Great Seal of Maryland in color at the top. Although this design is the original standard, some early markers incorporated other elements into their designs. The earliest markers were installed in 1930 and 1931 by the Historical Society of Harford County under the leadership of J. Alexis Shriver. The first marker commemorated Jerusalem Mills, northeast of Kingsville.

Coinciding with the beginning of the Historical Marker program, was the commemoration of the bicentennial of George Washington’s birth in 1932. Maryland’s General Assembly supported a George Washington Bi-Centennial Commission, and commemorative activities were coordinated with federal programs. Maryland participated in the celebration with the installation of Historical Markers along some of the state routes that Washington travelled. Concurrently, other Maryland groups embarked on similar initiatives. The Daughters of the American Revolution sponsored markers along General’s Highway, the route General Washington took from New York to Annapolis to resign from his position of Commander in Chief of the first American army in 1783.

In 1933, MDOT SHA, then the Maryland State Roads Commission, established a formal, statewide Roadside Historical Marker program. It included assistance from the Maryland Historical Society (MHS), a private non-profit. This partnership continued until 1985 when the Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) managed the program with assistance and funding from MDOT SHA. In 2001 the program was modified with revisions to standards, criteria, and location guidelines. Today, the program is managed and funded by MDOT with MHT review.

Approximately 800 Historical Markers have been installed since 1930, and around 780 remain today. Public interest in the program has never waned, and the flow of marker applications remains steady.

Find a Maryland Historical Marker

Click the button below to access the Maryland Historical Trust's Historical Marker Search site.