Skip to main content

The National Road - Maryland - Jug Bridge Memorial Park

Image
By
For over 130 years, from 1808 to 1942, a very unique stone arch bridge carried everything from horse and buggy, Civil War troops, and finally automobiles over the Monocacy River just east of Frederick.  The bridge's most unique feature, and what would give the bridge its name, was the jug shaped stone demijohn on the east banks of the Monocacy.  The bridge was built in 1808 during the construction of the Baltimore-Frederick Turnpike - a precursor to the National Road and eventually US 40.   In 1824, the Marquis de LaFayette was greeted by Fredericktonians at the bridge upon his return to the area.  The Jug Bridge would see action in the Civil War during the Battle of Monocacy in July 1864.  At the time of battle, the bridge was under Union control and was attacked by Confederate troops hoping to move closer to Washington as a way to divert some of Ulysses S. Grant's troops from the Petersburg campaign. (1)

The Jug Bridge and US 40 in 1933. (A.S. Burns / Library of Congress)
The bridge 425 foot long bridge consisted of four 65 foot stone arch spans. (2)  As the widespread use of the automobile grew, stress on the bridge became more evident. During the 1920 - 30s, concerns over the bridge's condition would be voiced.  Finally, on March 3rd, 1942, one of the arches along with a 65 foot section of the bridge collapsed into the river.    While a new concrete open spandrel bridge was being built directly to its south, a temporary wooden bridge was built to cross the collapsed section and allow vehicles to continue to use the highway. (2)  Just over 10 years later in 1955, a second parallel structure to the new bridge would open allowing for four lanes of US 40 traffic to cross the Monocacy.  Later to the north, another bridge would be built carrying Interstate 70 and US 40 over the river.  After the replacement bridge opened in 1944, the Jug Bridge was torn down though the demijohn monument remained.  Years after the collapse of the bridge, the "jug" and a stone monument to General LaFayette were moved to a park about two miles west of their original location.

The Jug Bridge Monument at its current home. (Doug Kerr)
Today, the "jug" sits at the Jug Bridge Memorial Park just off of Interstate 70 and Maryland Route 144 at Exit 56. For centuries, a local rumor was that a jug of whiskey was placed inside the monument by those building the bridge.  As a result of planned expansion of the Frederick Municipal Airport, the City of Frederick is considering moving the bridge to a new home.

Detail of the Jug Monument (Doug Kerr)
Detail of the Marquis de LaFayette monument at Jug Bridge Memorial Park (Doug Kerr)

Site Navigation:

Sources & Links:

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2018 Mojave Road Trip Part 2; The deadly desert highway (California State Route 127 and Nevada State Route 373)

By
After leaving Barstow via Old Highway 58 my next destination was in Death Valley.  To access Death Valley from rural San Bernardino County required a trek on north on Interstate 15 to California State Route 127 which becomes Nevada State Route 373 at the state line. Along I-15 I encountered the road sign oddity that is Zzyzx Road about eight miles south of Baker.   Zzyzx Road is a four mile road that used to go to the Zzyzx Mineral Springs and Health Spa.   The spa was founded in the 1940s and the owner made up the name "Zzyzx" to claim it was the last word in the English Language.  The spa has been shut down since the 1970s and is now part of a Desert Studies Center for California State University. The southern terminus of CA 127 in Baker is located at I-15 exit 246.  CA 127 is a 91 mile north/south highway which runs to the Nevada State Line in Inyo County.  CA 127 is called Death Valley Road from I-15 northward.  South of CA 127 ...
4 comments
Read more

Finding the Pre-Emption Road of New York State

By
  The Pre-Emption Road (or rather a series of roads named Pre-Emption Road) follows a survey line called the Pre-Emption Line, drawn in the early days of the United States. The story begins with Massachusetts and New York having competing land claims to modern day Western New York State that have their roots in colonial charters granted by the British. After the Revolutionary War ended, this land became the frontier of the nation and its settlement became a priority for the new American government. During this era, there were a lot of competing land claims that needed to be settled. It was no different with the land claims between New York State and Massachusetts. On November 30, 1786, Massachusetts and New York sent representatives to Hartford, Connecticut to resolve their competing land claims. In less than three weeks, the representatives had reached a compromise. Massachusetts would receive pre-emption rights, meaning the right to sell the land after the Indian title ...
Post a Comment
Read more

What's In a Name?: When the Roads Really Do Tell a Story

By
  Our tagline on the Gribblenation blog is "because every road tells a story". Some roads tell different stories than others. Along our travels, we may see historic markers that tell us a little story about the roads we travel or the places we pass by. Some historic markers are more general, as to telling us who lived where or what old trail traversed between two towns. During my travels across New York State and other states or provinces, I pass by many historic markers, some with interesting or amusing references to roads. I wanted to highlight a few of the markers I've seen along my travels around the Empire State and help tell their stories. Those stories may be as specific as explaining the tales of a tree that was used to help measure a distance of eight miles from Bath to Avoca in Steuben County, as referenced on the Eight Mile Tree historical marker above. They may also help point the way along historical roads first used centuries ago, or may help tell a local l...
Post a Comment
Read more