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Harford Road less travelled
Photos by Adam Paul
Reasonably well known in the Baltimore Area is the thorofare known as "Old Harford Road," which starts just North of Hamilton, and roughly parallels Harford Road to the West for a good distance, offering passage to thousands in the area daily.  

However, there are a couple of other fragments of Harford Road lying further inward, that are far more forgotten and lonely than their suburban counterpart.  And interestingly enough, these broken relics of the artery generally bear more resemblance to a 19th Century roadway than today's Old Harford does...
Herring Run Crossing:

Amidst the grounds of today's Herring Run Park lies one of the long severed sections of Harford Road.  An early 20th Century improvement project which saw the construction of a high, arched bridge over the run rendered the original, lower roadway to become surplus.  However, the original right of way, particularly that North of Herring Run, would still prove useful to access the parkland, in particular, Hall's Spring, and would be retained, though unmarked. 

Harford Road map through Herring Run Park
1897 map shows the original right of way of Harford Road at Herring Run.  Superimposed green path shows the path of the present day high right of way and bridge over the run.  Yellow line indicates path followed by Horsecars to Halls Spring, which is shown by the red box.
Right of Way of Original Harford Road Northward
North of Herring Run, the park roadway follows the precise path that Harford Road once did when the map above was surveyed.  Halls Spring lies just out of view on the right beyond the trees.		 Bridge over the Herring Run - Abutments are old
Beneath the Harford Road bridge, a modern bridge resides, following the path of the original.  The nice stone abutments on either side are the original abutments of the original Harford Road.
Right of Way looking South from Bridge
South of the stream, the former right of way of Harford is traced by a footpath.  The grass along the center of the shot approximates the path of the former horsecar line.  To the right lies the fill for the new higher alignment.

Old Town Mall Area
Though modern Harford Road (or Avenue as it's called below North Avenue) eases into Ensor Street upon passing Eager Street, there is one more block following the original alignment that has been truncated from the functional thorofare of today.  Nestled between Madison and Monument Streets lies a single block of Harford Road that still remains.  Originally, the artery continued a block further Southward before dumping into High Street, but this alignment has been nixed by a BGE facility as well as the Bath Street Viaduct.

Harford Road looking North from Monument
Looking at this rather "blah" side street off of Monument Street, it is hard to imagine it once reaching continuously onward into Harford County, but that is exactly what it did.

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