Maryland Route 21

Maryland Route 21 marker

Maryland Route 21
Tolchester Beach Road

Maryland Route 21 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by MDSHA
Length: 2.42 mi[1] (3.89 km)
Existed: 1927 – present
Major junctions
West end: MD 445 in Tolchester Beach
East end: MD 20 near Fairlee
Location
Counties: Kent
Highway system
← MD 20MD 22 →

Maryland Route 21 (MD 21) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Tolchester Beach Road, the state highway runs 2.42 miles (3.89 km) from MD 445 in Tolchester Beach east to MD 20 near Fairlee in western Kent County. MD 21 was constructed in the mid-1920s to provide a modern road connection to Tolchester Beach, then a major beach resort on the Chesapeake Bay.

Route description

MD 21's western terminus is coexistent with the northern terminus of MD 445 (Tolchester Road) in Tolchester Beach. Two county highways issue from the intersection: Bay Shore Road heads north while Tolchester Beach Road heads west to the former resort area. MD 21 heads southeast through forest and then farmland on the way to its eastern terminus at MD 20 (Rock Hall Road) south of Fairlee.[1][2]

History

Tolchester Beach was a major resort on the Chesapeake Bay featuring swimming, picnicking, and amusement park-type rides. The resort opened in 1877 and thrived with the traffic generated by steamboat excursions beginning in 1887 from various ports on the bay, including Baltimore.[3] MD 21 was constructed to provide an all-weather road from the Tolchester Beach resort to MD 20 in 1924 and 1925.[4][5] By 1927, a ferry connected Tolchester Beach with the Inner Harbor of Baltimore.[5] This ferry service continued through at least 1940.[6] After a long decline due to the rise of more modern resorts, Tolchester Beach closed in 1962.[3] MD 21's western terminus was moved from the beach east to MD 445 in 1995.[7]

Junction list

The entire route is in Kent County.

Locationmi
[1]		kmDestinationsNotes
Tolchester Beach0.000.00 MD 445 south (Tolchester Road) / Tolchester Beach Road west / Bay Shore Road north – Rock HallWestern terminus
Fairlee2.423.89 MD 20 (Rock Hall Road) – Chestertown, Galena, Rock HallEastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Highway Information Services Division (December 31, 2013). Highway Location Reference. Maryland State Highway Administration. Retrieved 2010-10-06.
  2. ↑ Google (2010-10-06). "Maryland Route 21" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 2010-10-06.
  3. 1 2 Eshelman, Ralph (2005). "Tolchester Beach". Maryland Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2010-10-06.
  4. ↑ Mackall, John N.; Darnall, R. Bennett; Brown, W.W. (January 1927). "Annual Reports of the State Roads Commission of Maryland" (1924–1926 ed.). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission: 31, 89. Retrieved 2010-10-06.
  5. 1 2 Maryland Geological Survey (1927). Map of Maryland: Showing State Road System and State Aid Roads (Map). Baltimore: Maryland Geological Survey.
  6. ↑ Maryland State Roads Commission (1940). Map of Maryland Showing Highways and Points of Interest (Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission.
  7. ↑ Maryland State Highway Administration (1995). Maryland: Official Highway Map (Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Highway Administration.

External links

Route map: Bing / Google

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, August 03, 2014. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.