Much of the fun of a trip Westward on the old National Road for a history minded relic hunter comes in the most tangible of Pioneer era artifacts, namely the surviving milepost markers.  So come with us on a journey Westward out Maryland Route 144 to Frederick, and see some of the many fascinating old milepost markers still to be found today.  Please note that all stones found were located to the North of the roadway.

Stone #10 is there to greet as soon as you enter Ellicott City.

As easily judged by the brick paving, stone 10 is anything but forgotten in E.C.

Compared with Frederick 3, the lettering on Frederick 11 appears to be more crude.  The 11 is at least easily discernable.

Frederick 11 is another of the prominently visible National Road stones that once greeted legions of travelers since the 18th Century.

Upon reaching the merger with Route 40, you'll have to turn left onto Route 40, and then pick up the left lane to turn Southward back onto Route 144 West.  Here, the signs are rather clear, though in a while, you'll find that they get confusing.

Resuming travel along the old road, one expects to find Stone #15 near Cornwall Road, but it is either well concealed, or missing.  However, upon passing Folly Quarter Road, one finds their first new score in some time with Stone #16 (I was unable to stop to get this one due to maintenance crews being on location that day.)   Despite recent housing development, the stone has perservered.  Out further, near Kings Cliff Road, Stone #17 was expected, but was not found.

Though set back from the road a bit, the clearing in which it's in makes Frederick 18 an easy discovery.

The 18 is largely readable, though it could be translated into other numbers.

When approaching from the East, Stone #20 can be a bit tricky, as it largely looms behing the utility pole in the background.

The residents of 13200 Frederick Road obviously take pride in their fortune of having a national historic marker in front of their house.

Stone #22 is among the few actually located at something other than unoccupied land or a residence/farm.

Stone #22 carries a distinctive swirl pattern among it's granite.

The mailbox for residence #15151 is a good indicator in finding Stone #24.

A tad slimmer than most stones, #24 is a bit worn, but still able to be deciphered.

On a bright day such as this, it's fortunate that Stone #26 was able to be found.  One only can guess how invisible the stone would have been on a grey day.

Despite its concealed status, the face of Stone #26 is unremarkable, virtually clear of detecting markings.

The wind tower in one yard helps to make Frederick 27 easier to find.

The markings on 27 are suprisingly crisp, and may have been re-etched.

The road now veers off onto a radical realignment, and reappears to parallel a road one would assume is Route 40, but instead is North-South running Md. Route 27.  Upon reaching the light at 27, one must turn right to head North, and pass beneath the interchanges for I-70 before finding signs pointing the motorist Westward again on Route 144.  In trying to find my way back to the road, I wound up skipping the spot for Stone #31, which may be located on an old National Road Fragment that runs East off of 27 near Mount Airy.

Resuming the search, Stone #32, expected at the B&O Railroad crossing, was not found, though thankfully ending the dry spell of stones.

Stone #33 stands out starkly on its hosting hillside.  Note the Tractor Trailer in the background, showing the close proximity of Interstate 70.

Perhaps as a result of its extended audience, Stone #33 bears a particularly sharp appearance.

Just as it's predecessor, Stone #34 sits along a bank on an inward curve.	The stone's markings are visible, though they can be mistaken for a "36"
Again, like #33, #34 can be seen from I-70, albeit very briefly.  I-70 is visible in the right middle of the photo.

Stone #36 is generally only quickly visible when heading Eastbound on Route #144, thoguh the trained eye can spot it.

A bit roughly hewn, #36 has some degree of clarity to its markings, as seen here.

Frederick 38 is easily visible, and easily mistaken for a gravestone as well by the unintiated.

Stone #39 should exist about 1/4 mile East of Yeagertown Road, but was not discovered on this particular journey along the National Road

Stone #40, however, is readily visible, as the road draws within closer view of Interstate 70.  And just within time, as the road becomes obscured in a tangle of access ramps just a short degree West of here

Lying near a neat historic house, Frederick 40 is pretty handily visible as a part of the National Road Landscape.

Looking a touch more like a 41, the inscription of Frederick 40 is a tough sell.

West of Meadow Road, the road plays a three way tag with the combined Interstate 70/Route 40.  I-70 and Route 40 split apart again West of here, and the old National Road exists as more of a terrace road to route 40 along much of the next three miles.

In spite of this, Stone #41 remains. albeit in poor condition, a spell East of Bells Lane on the disjointed Old National Road, which can take a bit of head scratching to figure out just how to access.

From far away, Frederick 41 looks pretty decent.  To the left is the Old National Road with the new "Pike" on the right.  View looks West.

Upon Closer Inspection, 41 looks tired and tattered, though a historically minded citizen has anchored the old stone with a concrete base.

Stone #42 is near about impossible to find, considering that it seems the old road itself has vanished at this point.  It should be near Bartonsville Road, along one of the many disjointed terraces that follow the bed of the old road, but there appears to be a gap between these roads at this point.

It is important to illustrate the game of tag the old road plays with the new road at this point.  For example in the photo below, the old road can be seen as the distant parallelling road that meets the left center of the photo.  This road, while largely visible, is restricted access by steel guard rails that leave the old road looking forlorn.

Thus, it is not possible to find Stone #43, which one expects on a stretch that runs parrallel and North of the new roadway, about 1/4 mile West of the Monocacy River.  On the day of my exploration, this particular stretch was being patiently guarded by Frederick County Police, whose boredom I did not wish to interrupt.

Thankfully, upon entering the city of Frederick, Route 40 drops back to a merge with Interstate 70, and Route 144 is allowed to resume its course along the old road, now along Patrick Street.  Near Orchard Avenue, one is greeted with a nice suprise in Stone #44

Entering the town of Frederick, one finds Stone #44 well taken care of, and easily visible to the motorist.

Sadly, however, the stone's inscription appears to long since have faded away.

Finally, amid the center of the Town of Frederick, at the corner of Patrick and Maxwell Streets, one finds Stone #45, reputedly 45 miles from the old boundary of Baltimore.  It's a welcome sight to the visitor who can now look at backtracking their journey in the hopes of filling in the gaps in the stones not seen!

Frederick 45 sits right amid the town of Frederick at the Northeast corner of Patrick and Maxwell.  One wonders how the area about the stone looked 150 years ago or earlier!

Frederick 45 looks very much the worse for the wear, though obvious attempts have been made to stabilize the old stone.