The La Vale Toll House

The La Vale Toll House (HM2D7)

Location: Cumberland, MD 21502 Allegany County
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Country: United States of America
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N 39° 38.258', W 78° 51.096'

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Inscription
Toll houses were built along the National Road as a result of a 25 year national debate as to whether or not the federal government should be responsible for funding road improvements. While there was agreement on the idea that those who used the road should help defray maintenance costs, it was also thought unconstitutional for the federal government to charge tolls. The debate was finally resolved when it was decided to transfer ownership of the National Road to individual states. After Maryland accepted ownership, an elaborate system of rates and fares was established based on the estimated amount of damage different vehicles and animals could cause the road. During the La Vale Toll House's first year of operation, almost $10,000 was collected.

Toll collectors earned $200 a year and had free living quarters. "Pikers," travelers unwilling to pay tolls, made it difficult for toll keepers, as they tried to escape by avoiding the road. The Addison and Searights Toll Houses are of similar architecture, and can still be seen as you continue west on the National Road into Pennsylvania.

The La Vale Toll House was built to look like a gatehouse, lending it an interesting shape. The two-story brick structure has seven sides; five are equal in length while two are longer.
Details
HM NumberHM2D7
Series This marker is part of the The Historic National Road series
Tags
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Wednesday, September 10th, 2014 at 3:00pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)17S E 684360 N 4389744
Decimal Degrees39.63763333, -78.85160000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 39° 38.258', W 78° 51.096'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds39° 38' 15.48" N, 78° 51' 5.76" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)301, 240
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 1360-1366 US-40 ALT, Cumberland MD 21502, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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