Milestones, Inns and Taverns of the 1794 (Philadelphia and Lancaster) Pennsylvania Turnpike

Early Roads used the Philadelphia Courthouse located at Second and Market as their Eastern terminus. Milestones on the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike originated from the West bank of the Schuylkill River. There was also no permanent bridge over the river until 1805, which according to one account burned in 1806. Today this would be the market Street or 30th Street bridge.  Measuring the mileage from the West side of the river made more sense. This made turnpike mileage 2 to 3 miles less than other starting points in Philadelphia. An example of this is in Downingtown where the 30 milestone sat near the Halfway House. In the same area of that stone is a 33 milestone from a 1771 road. Now part of the reason for that is because the mileage was figured using a less direct road, but part of it is probably a more Western starting point. The Halfway House hosted a future president, James Buchanan, and the Continental Congress on the run from the British in 1777. Sachse said that after the permanent bridge was completed stages left from the corner of 8th and Market in Philadelphia 

An unsung hero in the battle to save the milestones was Susan Frazer and the Colonial Dames she worked with. According to John Fahis in his book Old Roads Out of Philadelphia she and her group found and relocated as many of the markers as possible in 1907. Some of the stones were found leaning against barns, one was being used as a doorstep. She even dug one up by figuring out where it should be. She placed them at their original distance using a simple but ingenious system. She would place a white ribbon on her wheel spoke, early cars had wooden spokes and then count the number of revolutions, 470 revolutions equaled one mile, stop and search or dig.

In regard to inns, taverns and other places of interest along the early turnpike - the places I've attempted to document were active when the turnpike was at its highpoint between 1795 and the 1830's when the railroad began to surpass turnpike mileage. Some places were active before the turnpike took off but would have still been something a traveler might see along the way. An example of this would be Joel Ferree's Gun Shop which made rifles for the continental army during the revolution. Many of the inns and taverns went on to serve other functions and I've attempted to document that as well. The Sign of the Stage in Paradise for example became a seminary for girls before the Civil War.