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Celebrating our two-lane highways of yesteryear…And the joys of driving them today!

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Steve_Colby
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As the new Ice Age dons in the Appalachians, the need to escape the confines of the cabin on one's day off is strong... That said, we traveled the snowy environs of Allegany and Garrett County this week in Search of the Lost Road (Well, at least parts we've missed on previous sojourns.)

 

Our efforts were rewarded with some new photos and/or discoveries:

 

A tip led me to a spring and an old Road alignment west of LaVale, MD. (The owner is putting together a packet of historical information for me.)

Sections of the old concrete road can still be found on the property and, what's left of a stone bridge. According to David Fisher of Fisher's Auto Body (owner), the SHA pulled down what was left of the bridge about six years ago. The spring, nestled next to the embankment of I-68, has a carved inscription as seen below. (For more photos go to Clarysville, MD)

 

spring-fisher-auto3_lrg.jpg

 

A 1965 photo of a truck wreck and a 1908 Lacock/Weller postcard of a tavern stand at Two-Mile Run (Shades of Death) shed some new light on the area.

 

The house Lacock identifies as the Tavern Stand still stands on the south side of the old Road just east of Two-Mile Run. In a seeming contradiction, Thomas Searight, in 1898, says a tavern, owned by a man named Recknor, stood on the north side of the road. The 1898 USGS Topo Map shows two houses, one on each side of the Road. A former owner of the house in the postcard is going to research the mystery farther. (See more photos.)

 

tavern-stand-two-mile-run1_lrg.jpg

 

 

Just down the hill from the tavern stand is Two-Mile Run. The 1965 wreck photo shows the walls of a stone bridge/culvert. (Over which, the unfortunate driver traveled.) Only remains of the culvert still exist but an original wall is still evident. (See more photos)

 

two-mile-bridge2_lrg.jpg

 

While searching for evidence of the Meadow Mountain Inn and Camp on the summit of Meadow Mtn., I found this monument (north side)...

 

meadow-mtn-summit-scofield2_lrg.jpg

 

Finally, winter does have some advantage. I was able to venture (Somewhat) into the frozen swamp at Meadow Run and get this photo of the restored Stone Bridge/Culvert at Little Meadows.

 

little-meadow-bridge2_lrg.jpg

 

~ Steve

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Steve,

 

As someone who enjoys the National Road only from a distance, your photos and descriptions are terrific. The Then and Now photos are great!

 

Does the spring have a recorded history, you know, like "George Washington's horse drank here?"

 

Dave

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

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Dave,

From what I've heard, the spring was called the Lion (Or Lyon?) Spring. The owner has a fair amount of information on the spring including a 1930 newspaper article. I can, hopefully, pick the info up in a week or two. When Spring thaw comes (if ever), I'm going out to document as mush of the old pavement as I can find.

 

BTW, there is no mention of the Spring in Hobbs.

 

Here's a Google Map I put together of some of the realignments I've found or will be checking once I can see the ground again.

 

~ Steve

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Dave,

From what I've heard, the spring was called the Lion (Or Lyon?) Spring. The owner has a fair amount of information on the spring including a 1930 newspaper article. I can, hopefully, pick the info up in a week or two. When Spring thaw comes (if ever), I'm going out to document as mush of the old pavement as I can find.

 

BTW, there is no mention of the Spring in Hobbs.

 

Here's a Google Map I put together of some of the realignments I've found or will be checking once I can see the ground again.

 

~ Steve

 

Steve,

 

First, you are setting a very high standard for documentation. I know for sure I can't match it!! By the time I looked at your photos and Google Earth workup, I was almost transported there.

 

The spring is very interesting. I wouldn't expect to find it in Hobbs, but sometimes strip maps, or Automobile Blue Books cite a spring, especially if it is on a grade where water was needed for radiators, or it was in semi arid areas. The site of the spring doesn't appear to meet either need, so I'm not surprised it isn't cited.

 

I do have a question. When I look at your excellent Google Earth workup, and I follow the section of the road as it approaches the spring site from the east heading west, I am left with the impression that the old alignment disappears under the interstate before the old road reaches the spring...assuming the spring is the square near your marker. The question is: Was the spring at road level and adjacent to it, or on a slope or hillside back from, and above the road?

 

I am impressed at what you are describing. Keep it coming!

 

Dave

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

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Dave,

The height of the Spring is a puzzlement for now... You have to climb a couple of sets of stairs the owner has built to get to the spring. The construction of I-68 radically changed the landscape with both cutting and filling. According to David Fisher (owner), the spring was, in fact, damaged by the construction of I-68. If you see a square in the satellite photo, it is, most likely, the small I-68 drain which sits about 10 feet behind the the inscribed stone in the photo.

 

The old Road did climb the hill toward the spring but I haven't had a chance to see where it ends. Once the snow melts and I pick up the info from David, I should know more.

 

Here's a 1908 USGS map of the area. Notice how the road climbs the hill and then levels off. I believe the spring is just a bit west of the small jog in the road. (SWAG).

 

lion-spring-map.jpg

 

~ Steve

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The pictures of the Two Mile Run accident suggest a literal meaning for the name "Shades of Death". Maybe accidents of this kind were frequent at this spot.

 

In the second of the 1965 accident pictures, it looks like the old tavern stand you show in another picture is in the background. Isn't that the same building?

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