64 SHELTON : 



Lancaster Pike. This road is within our County a dis- 

 tance of about five miles, in the township of Radnor. It has 

 the distinction of being the first turnpike or improved stone 

 road in the United States. It was chartered in 1792 and 

 completed about 1794. The milestones were presumably set 

 up then or soon after. I understand that in recent times they 

 have been reset, and more or less restored by the Colonial 

 Dames. As at present appearing, they are of white marble, 

 of uniform size, about six inches thick by twelve inches face, 

 and of uniform pattern. In the sixty-two miles of road to 

 Lancaster there are five that interest us because of being in 

 our County. 



No. 10 is west of Rosemont, and has a wire fence and a 

 rose bush back of it. 



No. II is west of the Spring Mill or Villa Nova road. 



No. 12 is a little east of the toll gate, near the St. David's 

 Golf Club. 



No. 13 is at the northwest corner of the main street inter- 

 section, in Wayne. 



No. 14 is in Strafford, a little beyond the toll gate, and a 

 trifle outside the County line. 



These are all in good condition and are on the present Lan- 

 caster pike. The course of this old road has been changed 

 somewhat, however, in the two centuries and more of its exist- 

 ence. There are no stones now visible on what is known as 

 old Lancaster road, where such runs through our County. 

 That there were stones, however, at least, on the east end of 

 the old road is shown by Hill's map of 1808, and stones No. 

 6, 7 and 8 still stand. No. 6 is about 150 yards east of 

 Wynnefield Avenue, on Fifty-fourth Street, and shows the 

 pattern of that original Lancaster series, before the pike days. 



It is interesting to think of what changes these old Lan- 

 caster stones have witnessed, even if only in the matter of 

 transportation. First, the old Conestoga wagons that rapidly 

 grew in numbers as a good road became available, with their 

 six and eis:ht horse teams that took three weeks to make the 



