The Baltimore, Hanover & Carlisle Pike (today Route 94) was built between 1807 and 1809 and ran 72 miles.
By the dawn of the 19th century, newly constructed roads were providing access to the mills located every 5 miles or so along principle waterways such as the Bermudian and Latimore Creeks. These early roads, such as the Hanover & Carlisle Turnpike, were mainly toll roads. The Hanover & Carlisle Pike brought produce and products from Carlisle and the Cumberland Valley to Baltimore. As roads developed and improved, handy crossroads led to the formation of towns and villages. One such crossroads was at Petersburg (York Springs) where the Hanover & Carlisle Pike crossed the Harrisburg Road. The community of Petersburg grew around this crossroad and became a convenient stopping and resting place for travelers.
A tollgate was located every five miles or so where the toll was collected to keep up the expenses to maintain the road. There would be a tilting bar across the road with a wooden box on the short end and a large stone in the box to counter balance the other end.
One of the toll houses for the Hanover & Carlisle Pike was located near the Route 15 cloverleaf. The original pike ran down behind where the Hershey’s Fur Center and Campground is located. The last tollgate tender was the John Everhart Sr. family, who lived in the log cabin toll house, and collected tolls until the pike ceased operation as a toll road in 1920. The toll house was later dismantled due to the widening of the road and the insertion of the Route 15 cloverleaf. The picture below is dated around 1930.
Seen below is a partial list of the original shareholders from the York Springs area for the Hanover & Carlisle Turnpike, 1809.
