Maryland Route 17
Encyclopedia
Maryland Route 17 is a state highway
in the U.S. state of Maryland
. The state highway begins at the Virginia
state line at the Potomac River
in Brunswick
, where the highway continues south as Virginia State Route 287
(SR 287). MD 17 runs 29.49 miles (47.5 km) north from the Brunswick Bridge to the Frederick
–Washington
county line near Wolfsville
. The state highway serves as the main north–south highway of the Middletown Valley
of western Frederick County. MD 17 connects Brunswick and Wolfsville with Rosemont
, Burkittsville
, Middletown
, and Myersville
. The state highway also connects those communities with the valley's main east–west highways, which include U.S. Route 340
, US 40 Alternate, Interstate 70
(I-70), and US 40
.
What is now MD 17 was originally designated MD 33. The first sections of the state highway were constructed in Brunswick and Rosemont in 1916. MD 33 was mostly constructed south of Myersville in the early 1920s; the last pieces of the Brunswick–Myersville highway were filled in by 1927. MD 33 was completed from Myersville to Wolfsville in the early 1930s. MD 33 swapped numbers with the original MD 17
, a highway on the Eastern Shore
, in 1940. The portion of MD 17 north of Wolfsville was brought into the state highway system in 1956, the same year the Myersville–Middletown Road was transferred to county control. The state highway north of Myersville was designated MD 153. In the mid 1980s, MD 17 was extended north from Middletown, assuming all of MD 153 to its present northern terminus. The modern Brunswick Bridge was constructed in the early 1950s, replacing a bridge constructed in the early 1890s at the same site.
in the city of Brunswick. The roadway continues into Loudoun County, Virginia
as SR 287 (Berlin Pike), which heads south toward Lovettsville
. MD 17 crosses the river on the Brunswick Bridge, a two-lane steel girder bridge
that also passes over the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
, CSX
's Metropolitan Subdivision, Walnut Street, Virginia Avenue, and Potomac Street. The bridge's northern end lands just south of a roundabout that connects MD 17 with Petersville Road, Maryland Avenue, and both directions of B Street. Petersville Road, the old alignment of MD 17, heads south into the Brunswick Historic District
and becomes Maple Avenue, which provides access to Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
and the historic Brunswick train station
, which is served by MARC
's Brunswick Line
.
MD 17 heads north from the Brunswick Roundabout as two-lane Petersville Road, which climbs out of the narrow Potomac River valley. At the top of the hill, the state highway leaves the city of Brunswick and enters the village of Rosemont, where the highway intersects MD 79
and MD 464
(Souder Road). Petersville Road continues north as MD 79 while MD 17 turns northwest onto Burkittsville Road. The state highway leaves the village of Rosemont and intersects the western end of Rosemont Drive, the old alignment of MD 17 that is unsigned
MD 871G. MD 17 intersects MD 180
(Jefferson Pike) at a roundabout before meeting US 340 (Jefferson National Pike) at a diamond interchange
. North of US 340, the state highway runs mostly straight through farmland parallel to the upper reaches of Little Catoctin Creek and South Mountain to the hamlet of Coatsville, where the highway passes through a pair of right-angle curves.
MD 17 curves to the northeast and enters the town of Burkittsville, where the highway's name becomes Potomac Street. Within the Burkittsville Historic District
, the state highway intersects Main Street, which heads west to Crampton's Gap
, a low point in South Mountain that contains Gathland State Park
. MD 17 leaves Burkittsville and crosses Broad Run in the hamlet of Arnoldtown, then meets the northern end of MD 383
(Broad Run Road) and the west end of Bennies Hill Road, which leads to the Bennies Hill Road Bridge
and historic Shafer's Mill
. The state highway continues across Middle Creek and parallels Catoctin Creek
before crossing the latter stream on a through truss bridge. MD 17 enters the town of Middletown just south of its intersection with Jefferson Street and Old Middletown Road. The state highway passes through town as Church Street and meets US 40 Business (Main Street) in the center of the Middletown Historic District.
MD 17 leaves Middletown as Myersville Middletown Road, which heads northeast then curves northwest to parallel I-70 (Eisenhower Memorial Highway). The two highways cross Little Catoctin Creek—this creek being a tributary of Catoctin Creek rather than the Potomac River-feeding creek near Brunswick—near the state highway's intersection with Harmony Road, then MD 17 veers west away from the Interstate. The state highway intersects Old Hagerstown Road at an oblique angle and crosses Catoctin Creek again before veering north and temporarily expanding to a four-lane divided highway for its diamond interchange with I-70 at the town limit of Myersville. After reducing to two lanes, MD 17 continues as Main Street toward the center of town, where the state highway turns east onto Wolfsville Road. The state highway crosses Catoctin Creek just north of its confluence with Middle Creek and intersects US 40 (Baltimore National Pike) at the Myersville town limits.
MD 17 heads north into a mountainous area with a mix of farmland and forest at the northern end of the Middletown Valley. The state highway parallels Middle Creek, which it crosses twice, the second time at the hamlet of Ellerton, where the highway intersects Harmony Road, crosses the creek, then immediately turns east to remain on Wolfsville Road at its intersection with Harp Hill Road. Harp Hill Road is a straighter but much steeper alternate route between Ellerton and Wolfsville compared to MD 17, which parallels Middle Creek and crosses the creek thrice as it winds through the communities of Crossnickel and Middlepoint and passes the historic Peter of P. Grossnickel Farm
. The state highway meets the northern end of Harp Mill Road and intersects Pleasant Walk Road and Stottlemeyer Road in Wolfsville. MD 17 leaves Middle Creek and ascends South Mountain to its northern terminus at its intersection with Garfield Road and Loy Wolfe Road at the Frederick–Washington county line. Wolfsville Road continues north as a county highway that descends South Mountain to MD 77
(Foxville Road) in Smithsburg
on the eastern edge of the Hagerstown Valley
.
In 1927, what is now MD 17 became one of the original state-numbered highways when it was marked as MD 33. By that year, the gap between Burkittsville and Arnoldtown, Main Street in Myersville, and Wolfsville Road from Ellerton to Grossnickel had been paved with concrete. In addition, a macadam road was constructed from Main Street in Myersville to the first crossing of Middle Creek north of the town. The gap between that crossing of Middle Creek and Ellerton was filled by a concrete road in 1928. Wolfsville Road from Grossnickel to Middlepoint was started in 1930. That segment and the portion from Middlepoint to Wolfsville were completed in 1933. MD 33's through truss bridge over Catoctin Creek between Burkittsville and Middletown was replaced with the modern through truss bridge on a new alignment in 1934. All of MD 33 between Brunswick and Wolfsville was redesignated MD 17 in 1940, swapping numbers with modern MD 33 in Talbot County
.
The portion of Wolfsville Road from Wolfsville north to the Washington County line was brought into the state highway system in 1956. That same year, the portion of MD 17 between US 40 Alternate in Middletown and US 40 in Myersville was transferred to county maintenance. MD 17 north of Myersville was renumbered MD 153. MD 17 was placed on its present alignment in Rosemont from MD 79 to Rosemont Drive in 1968; MD 79 was extended south to the new four-way intersection with MD 17 and MD 464 and the old alignment of MD 17 along Rosemont Drive became MD 871G. MD 153 was extended south of US 40 through Myersville to the I-70 interchange in 1979. MD 17 achieved its present course in 1985 when the highway between Middletown and I-70 was returned to the state highway system; MD 17 was extended along what had been MD 153 to the Washington County line. MD 17's roundabouts at the northern end of the Brunswick Bridge and at the MD 180 intersection were installed in 1999 and 2000, respectively.
The first ferry at the German Crossing of the Potomac River, named for the German
settlement at Lovettsville, began at the site of Brunswick in 1731. The first fixed crossing of the river was a covered bridge
constructed between 1854 and 1857 by the Loudoun and Berlin Bridge Company; this bridge was burned by Confederate forces in June 1861. In 1893, the Loudoun Berlin Bridge Company constructed an iron through truss bridge across the river on the abutments of the covered bridge. Both the covered bridge and the iron bridge were located in line with Virginia Avenue, immediately to the east of the modern bridge. Later, the access road to the bridge would follow Maple Avenue south from Petersville Road, cross the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
, turn west onto what is now the access road for the C&O Canal Historical Park, then turn south to cross the river. Construction on the modern Brunswick Bridge began in 1952 with preliminary engineering work and construction of the bridge's substructure and superstructure, which were completed in 1953. Work on the bridge's deck and the Maryland approaches began in 1953 and continued through 1954. The Brunswick Bridge was dedicated July 30, 1955.
.
{| class=wikitable
!Location
!Mile
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|rowspan=2|Brunswick
|0.00
|
|Southern terminus; Virginia
state line at Potomac River
|-
|0.55
|Petersville Road south / Maryland Avenue south / B Street
|Roundabout
|-
|rowspan=4|Rosemont
|1.45
|
|MD 17 turns west onto Burkittsville Road
|-
|2.34
|Rosemont Drive south
|Rosemont Drive is unsigned MD 871G
|-
|2.55
|
|Roundabout
|-
|2.70
|
|Interchange
|-
|Burkittsville
|9.47
|
|
|-
|Middletown
|12.96
|
|
|-
|rowspan=3|Myersville
|18.25
|
|I-70 Exit 42
|-
|19.02
|Main Street north
|MD 17 turns east onto Wolfsville Road
|-
|19.45
|
|
|-
|Ellerton
|21.10
|Harp Hill Road north – Wolfsville
|MD 17 turns east to remain on Wolfsville Road
|-
|rowspan=2|Wolfsville
|25.90
|Harp Hill Road south – Ellerton
|MD 17 turns north to remain on Wolfsville Road
|-
|29.49
|Garfield Road east / Loy Wolfe Road south / Wolfsville Road north – Smithsburg
|Northern terminus; Washington County
line
State highway
State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...
in the U.S. state of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. The state highway begins at the Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
state line at the Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
in Brunswick
Brunswick, Maryland
Brunswick is a city in Frederick County, Maryland, United States. The population was 5,870 at the 2010 census.- History :The area now known as Brunswick was originally home to the Susquehanna Indians. In 1728 the first settlement was built, and the region became known as Eel Town, because the...
, where the highway continues south as Virginia State Route 287
Virginia State Route 287
Virginia State Route 287 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. Known as Berlin Pike, the state highway runs from SR 7 Business in Purcellville north to the Maryland state line at the Potomac River near Lovettsville, where the highway continues as Maryland Route 17...
(SR 287). MD 17 runs 29.49 miles (47.5 km) north from the Brunswick Bridge to the Frederick
Frederick County, Maryland
Frederick County is a county located in the western part of the U.S. state of Maryland, bordering the southern border of Pennsylvania and the northeastern border of Virginia. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 233,385....
–Washington
Washington County, Maryland
Washington County is a county located in the western part of the U.S. state of Maryland, bordering southern Pennsylvania to the north, northern Virginia to the south, and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia to the south and west. As of the 2010 Census, its population is 147,430...
county line near Wolfsville
Wolfsville, Maryland
Wolfsville is an unincorporated community in Frederick County, Maryland, United States.-References:...
. The state highway serves as the main north–south highway of the Middletown Valley
Middletown Valley
Middletown Valley, also historically known as Catoctin Valley, is a valley in western Frederick County in the state of Maryland.-Geography:...
of western Frederick County. MD 17 connects Brunswick and Wolfsville with Rosemont
Rosemont, Maryland
Rosemont is a village in Frederick County, Maryland, United States. The population was 273 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Rosemont is located at ....
, Burkittsville
Burkittsville, Maryland
Burkittsville is a town in Frederick County, Maryland, United States. The population was 171 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Burkittsville is located at ....
, Middletown
Middletown, Maryland
Middletown is a town in Frederick County, Maryland, United States. The population was 2,668 at the 2000 census. Middletown is a small, rural community steeped in American history...
, and Myersville
Myersville, Maryland
Myersville is a town in Frederick County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,382 at the 2000 census.-History:The Peter of P. Grossnickel Farm was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.-Geography:...
. The state highway also connects those communities with the valley's main east–west highways, which include U.S. Route 340
U.S. Route 340 in Maryland
U.S. Route 340 is a part of the U.S. Highway System that runs from Greenville, Virginia to Frederick, Maryland. In Maryland, the U.S. highway runs from the Virginia state line at the Potomac River at Sandy Hook east to its northern terminus at US 15 and US 40 in Frederick...
, US 40 Alternate, Interstate 70
Interstate 70 in Maryland
Interstate 70 is a part of the Interstate Highway System that runs from Cove Fort, Utah to Baltimore, Maryland. In Maryland, the Interstate Highway runs from the Pennsylvania state line in Hancock east to the Interstate's eastern terminus near its junction with I-695 at a park and ride in...
(I-70), and US 40
U.S. Route 40 in Maryland
U.S. Route 40 in the U.S. state of Maryland runs from western Maryland to Cecil County in the state's northeastern corner. With a total length of over , it is the longest numbered highway in Maryland. Almost half of the road overlaps with Interstate 68 or Interstate 70, while the old alignment...
.
What is now MD 17 was originally designated MD 33. The first sections of the state highway were constructed in Brunswick and Rosemont in 1916. MD 33 was mostly constructed south of Myersville in the early 1920s; the last pieces of the Brunswick–Myersville highway were filled in by 1927. MD 33 was completed from Myersville to Wolfsville in the early 1930s. MD 33 swapped numbers with the original MD 17
Maryland Route 33
Maryland Route 33 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The state highway runs from Tilghman Island east to Washington Street in Easton...
, a highway on the Eastern Shore
Eastern Shore of Maryland
The Eastern Shore of Maryland is a territorial part of the U.S. state of Maryland that lies predominately on the east side of the Chesapeake Bay and consists of nine counties. The origin of term Eastern Shore was derived to distinguish a territorial part of the State of Maryland from the Western...
, in 1940. The portion of MD 17 north of Wolfsville was brought into the state highway system in 1956, the same year the Myersville–Middletown Road was transferred to county control. The state highway north of Myersville was designated MD 153. In the mid 1980s, MD 17 was extended north from Middletown, assuming all of MD 153 to its present northern terminus. The modern Brunswick Bridge was constructed in the early 1950s, replacing a bridge constructed in the early 1890s at the same site.
Route description
MD 17 begins at the Virginia state line at the Potomac RiverPotomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
in the city of Brunswick. The roadway continues into Loudoun County, Virginia
Loudoun County, Virginia
Loudoun County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and is part of the Washington Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the county is estimated to be home to 312,311 people, an 84 percent increase over the 2000 figure of 169,599. That increase makes the county the fourth...
as SR 287 (Berlin Pike), which heads south toward Lovettsville
Lovettsville, Virginia
Lovettsville is a town in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. The population was 853 at the 2000 census. The 2005-2009 American Community Survey estimated the population at 1187.-History:Following the 1722 Treaty of St...
. MD 17 crosses the river on the Brunswick Bridge, a two-lane steel girder bridge
Girder bridge
A girder bridge, in general, is a bridge built of girders placed on bridge abutments and foundation piers. In turn, a bridge deck is built on top of the girders in order to carry traffic. There are several different subtypes of girder bridges:...
that also passes over the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, abbreviated as the C&O Canal, and occasionally referred to as the "Grand Old Ditch," operated from 1831 until 1924 parallel to the Potomac River in Maryland from Cumberland, Maryland to Washington, D.C. The total length of the canal is about . The elevation change of...
, CSX
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
's Metropolitan Subdivision, Walnut Street, Virginia Avenue, and Potomac Street. The bridge's northern end lands just south of a roundabout that connects MD 17 with Petersville Road, Maryland Avenue, and both directions of B Street. Petersville Road, the old alignment of MD 17, heads south into the Brunswick Historic District
Brunswick Historic District
The Brunswick Historic District includes the historic center of the railroad town of Brunswick, Maryland. The district includes the 18th century former town of Berlin, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad yards along the Potomac River, and the town built between 1890 and 1910 to serve the...
and becomes Maple Avenue, which provides access to Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park located in the District of Columbia and the states of Maryland and West Virginia. The park was established as a National Monument in 1961 by President Dwight D...
and the historic Brunswick train station
Brunswick (MARC station)
Brunswick is a passenger rail station on the MARC Brunswick Line between Washington, D.C. and Martinsburg, West Virginia. The station house, located at 100 South Maple Street in Brunswick, Maryland, is a former Baltimore and Ohio Railroad depot that is a contributing property to the Brunswick...
, which is served by MARC
MARC Train
MARC , known prior to 1984 as Maryland Rail Commuter Service, is a regional rail system comprising three lines in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. MARC is administered by the Maryland Transit Administration , a Maryland Department of Transportation agency, and is operated under contract...
's Brunswick Line
Brunswick Line
The Brunswick Line is a MARC commuter rail line consisting of a main line running from Washington D.C. to Martinsburg, West Virginia and a branch line from just south of Point-of-Rocks station to Frederick, Maryland. The service is operated under contract by CSX Transportation, but is administered...
.
MD 17 heads north from the Brunswick Roundabout as two-lane Petersville Road, which climbs out of the narrow Potomac River valley. At the top of the hill, the state highway leaves the city of Brunswick and enters the village of Rosemont, where the highway intersects MD 79
Maryland Route 79
Maryland Route 79 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Petersville Road, the state highway runs from MD 17 and MD 464 in Rosemont north to MD 180 in Petersville. MD 79 and the adjacent portion of MD 17 south to Brunswick were constructed in 1916...
and MD 464
Maryland Route 464
Maryland Route 464 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known for most of its length as Point of Rocks Road, the state highway runs from MD 17 and MD 79 in Rosemont east to Ballenger Creek Pike in Point of Rocks. MD 464 connects Brunswick with U.S. Route 15 in Point of Rocks in...
(Souder Road). Petersville Road continues north as MD 79 while MD 17 turns northwest onto Burkittsville Road. The state highway leaves the village of Rosemont and intersects the western end of Rosemont Drive, the old alignment of MD 17 that is unsigned
Unsigned highway
An unsigned highway is a highway that has been assigned a route number, but does not bear conventional road markings that would normally be used to identify the route with that number...
MD 871G. MD 17 intersects MD 180
Maryland Route 180
Maryland Route 180 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known for most of its length as Jefferson Pike, the state highway runs from U.S. Route 340 in Knoxville east to MD 351 and Interstate 70 in Frederick. MD 180 is the old alignment of US 340 through Knoxville, Petersville, and...
(Jefferson Pike) at a roundabout before meeting US 340 (Jefferson National Pike) at a diamond interchange
Diamond interchange
A diamond interchange is a common type of road junction, used where a freeway crosses a minor road. The freeway itself is grade-separated from the minor road, one crossing the other over a bridge...
. North of US 340, the state highway runs mostly straight through farmland parallel to the upper reaches of Little Catoctin Creek and South Mountain to the hamlet of Coatsville, where the highway passes through a pair of right-angle curves.
MD 17 curves to the northeast and enters the town of Burkittsville, where the highway's name becomes Potomac Street. Within the Burkittsville Historic District
Burkittsville Historic District
The Burkittsville Historic District comprises the small town of Burkittsville, Maryland. Located at a crossroads in western Frederick County, the town is a consistent collection of early 19th-century Federal style houses mixed with a few Victorian style houses that has remained virtually unchanged...
, the state highway intersects Main Street, which heads west to Crampton's Gap
Crampton's Gap
Crampton's Gap, also known as Crampton Gap, is a wind gap on South Mountain in Maryland.The gap connects Burkittsville in the Middletown Valley to the east with Gapland and Rohrersville in the Pleasant Valley to the west....
, a low point in South Mountain that contains Gathland State Park
Gathland State Park
Gathland State Park is a small state park located near Burkittsville, Maryland, in the United States. The park is composed of the remains of the estate of George Alfred Townsend , a correspondent during the American Civil War who wrote under the pen name "Gath"...
. MD 17 leaves Burkittsville and crosses Broad Run in the hamlet of Arnoldtown, then meets the northern end of MD 383
Maryland Route 383
Maryland Route 383 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Broad Run Road, the state highway runs from MD 180 in Jefferson north to MD 17 near Burkittsville...
(Broad Run Road) and the west end of Bennies Hill Road, which leads to the Bennies Hill Road Bridge
Bennies Hill Road Bridge
Bennies Hill Road Bridge is a steel bowstring arch bridge over Catoctin Creek near Middletown, Maryland, United States. It is one of two remaining bridges of its type in Maryland that remains in their original locations. The bridge was restored in 2009....
and historic Shafer's Mill
Shafer's Mill
Shafer's Mill is a house near Middletown, Maryland, built in the early 19th century. The Federal style house was built for John Shafer, Jr., and was occupied after his death by his son, Peter. The Shafers operated four mills in the Middletown area. The house, however, was never operated as a...
. The state highway continues across Middle Creek and parallels Catoctin Creek
Catoctin Creek (Maryland)
Catoctin Creek is a tributary of the Potomac River in Frederick County, Maryland, USA. Its source is formed in the Myersville, MD area and flows directly south for the entire length of the stream. Catoctin Creek enters the Potomac River east of Brunswick. The stream flows through Catoctin Creek...
before crossing the latter stream on a through truss bridge. MD 17 enters the town of Middletown just south of its intersection with Jefferson Street and Old Middletown Road. The state highway passes through town as Church Street and meets US 40 Business (Main Street) in the center of the Middletown Historic District.
MD 17 leaves Middletown as Myersville Middletown Road, which heads northeast then curves northwest to parallel I-70 (Eisenhower Memorial Highway). The two highways cross Little Catoctin Creek—this creek being a tributary of Catoctin Creek rather than the Potomac River-feeding creek near Brunswick—near the state highway's intersection with Harmony Road, then MD 17 veers west away from the Interstate. The state highway intersects Old Hagerstown Road at an oblique angle and crosses Catoctin Creek again before veering north and temporarily expanding to a four-lane divided highway for its diamond interchange with I-70 at the town limit of Myersville. After reducing to two lanes, MD 17 continues as Main Street toward the center of town, where the state highway turns east onto Wolfsville Road. The state highway crosses Catoctin Creek just north of its confluence with Middle Creek and intersects US 40 (Baltimore National Pike) at the Myersville town limits.
MD 17 heads north into a mountainous area with a mix of farmland and forest at the northern end of the Middletown Valley. The state highway parallels Middle Creek, which it crosses twice, the second time at the hamlet of Ellerton, where the highway intersects Harmony Road, crosses the creek, then immediately turns east to remain on Wolfsville Road at its intersection with Harp Hill Road. Harp Hill Road is a straighter but much steeper alternate route between Ellerton and Wolfsville compared to MD 17, which parallels Middle Creek and crosses the creek thrice as it winds through the communities of Crossnickel and Middlepoint and passes the historic Peter of P. Grossnickel Farm
Peter of P. Grossnickel Farm
Peter of P. Grossnickel Farm is a historic home and farm complex located at Thurmont, Frederick County, Maryland. It consists of a mid-19th-century, Greek Revival farmhouse and 13 related buildings and structures. The house is a -story stone center-passage house on a limestone foundation, with a...
. The state highway meets the northern end of Harp Mill Road and intersects Pleasant Walk Road and Stottlemeyer Road in Wolfsville. MD 17 leaves Middle Creek and ascends South Mountain to its northern terminus at its intersection with Garfield Road and Loy Wolfe Road at the Frederick–Washington county line. Wolfsville Road continues north as a county highway that descends South Mountain to MD 77
Maryland Route 77
Maryland Route 77 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The state highway runs from MD 64 in Smithsburg east to MD 194 in Keymar. MD 77 is the main east–west highway of northern Frederick County...
(Foxville Road) in Smithsburg
Smithsburg, Maryland
Smithsburg is a town in Washington County, Maryland, United States. Its population was 2,146 at the 2000 census and latest 2008 estimates are at 2,908. Smithsburg is close to Fort Ritchie army base and just west of the presidential retreat Camp David....
on the eastern edge of the Hagerstown Valley
Hagerstown Valley
Hagerstown Valley is located in Maryland in the United States. It is part of the Great Appalachian Valley, which continues northward as Cumberland Valley in Pennsylvania, and southward as Shenandoah Valley in West Virginia and Virginia....
.
History
The first two sections of MD 17 to be constructed were Petersville Road from downtown Brunswick to what is now Rosemont Drive in Rosemont and Burkittsville Road from what is now MD 180 to Coatsville, which were completed as 14 feet (4.3 m) wide macadam roads in 1916. By 1921, sections of concrete road were completed from the National Pike in Middletown to Valley View Road and from Myersville south to Catoctin Creek. Another section of the highway was planned to followed the alignment of Old Hagerstown Road south from the Myersville segment to the National Pike west of Middletown. By 1923, the gap between Middletown and Myersville was completed in concrete following the present alignment instead of Old Hagerstown Road. Other segments completed that year included a macadam stretch from Coatsville to Burkittsville and a concrete road from Arnoldtown to the National Pike in Middletown.In 1927, what is now MD 17 became one of the original state-numbered highways when it was marked as MD 33. By that year, the gap between Burkittsville and Arnoldtown, Main Street in Myersville, and Wolfsville Road from Ellerton to Grossnickel had been paved with concrete. In addition, a macadam road was constructed from Main Street in Myersville to the first crossing of Middle Creek north of the town. The gap between that crossing of Middle Creek and Ellerton was filled by a concrete road in 1928. Wolfsville Road from Grossnickel to Middlepoint was started in 1930. That segment and the portion from Middlepoint to Wolfsville were completed in 1933. MD 33's through truss bridge over Catoctin Creek between Burkittsville and Middletown was replaced with the modern through truss bridge on a new alignment in 1934. All of MD 33 between Brunswick and Wolfsville was redesignated MD 17 in 1940, swapping numbers with modern MD 33 in Talbot County
Talbot County, Maryland
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*81.4% White*12.8% Black*0.2% Native American*1.2% Asian*0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*1.6% Two or more races*2.7% Other races*5.5% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
.
The portion of Wolfsville Road from Wolfsville north to the Washington County line was brought into the state highway system in 1956. That same year, the portion of MD 17 between US 40 Alternate in Middletown and US 40 in Myersville was transferred to county maintenance. MD 17 north of Myersville was renumbered MD 153. MD 17 was placed on its present alignment in Rosemont from MD 79 to Rosemont Drive in 1968; MD 79 was extended south to the new four-way intersection with MD 17 and MD 464 and the old alignment of MD 17 along Rosemont Drive became MD 871G. MD 153 was extended south of US 40 through Myersville to the I-70 interchange in 1979. MD 17 achieved its present course in 1985 when the highway between Middletown and I-70 was returned to the state highway system; MD 17 was extended along what had been MD 153 to the Washington County line. MD 17's roundabouts at the northern end of the Brunswick Bridge and at the MD 180 intersection were installed in 1999 and 2000, respectively.
The first ferry at the German Crossing of the Potomac River, named for the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
settlement at Lovettsville, began at the site of Brunswick in 1731. The first fixed crossing of the river was a covered bridge
Covered bridge
A covered bridge is a bridge with enclosed sides and a roof, often accommodating only a single lane of traffic. Most covered bridges are wooden; some newer ones are concrete or metal with glass sides...
constructed between 1854 and 1857 by the Loudoun and Berlin Bridge Company; this bridge was burned by Confederate forces in June 1861. In 1893, the Loudoun Berlin Bridge Company constructed an iron through truss bridge across the river on the abutments of the covered bridge. Both the covered bridge and the iron bridge were located in line with Virginia Avenue, immediately to the east of the modern bridge. Later, the access road to the bridge would follow Maple Avenue south from Petersville Road, cross the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...
, turn west onto what is now the access road for the C&O Canal Historical Park, then turn south to cross the river. Construction on the modern Brunswick Bridge began in 1952 with preliminary engineering work and construction of the bridge's substructure and superstructure, which were completed in 1953. Work on the bridge's deck and the Maryland approaches began in 1953 and continued through 1954. The Brunswick Bridge was dedicated July 30, 1955.
Junction list
The entire route is in Frederick CountyFrederick County, Maryland
Frederick County is a county located in the western part of the U.S. state of Maryland, bordering the southern border of Pennsylvania and the northeastern border of Virginia. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 233,385....
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{| class=wikitable
!Location
!Mile
!Destinations
!Notes
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|rowspan=2|Brunswick
Brunswick, Maryland
Brunswick is a city in Frederick County, Maryland, United States. The population was 5,870 at the 2010 census.- History :The area now known as Brunswick was originally home to the Susquehanna Indians. In 1728 the first settlement was built, and the region became known as Eel Town, because the...
|0.00
|
|Southern terminus; Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
state line at Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
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|0.55
|Petersville Road south / Maryland Avenue south / B Street
|Roundabout
Roundabout
A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...
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|rowspan=4|Rosemont
Rosemont, Maryland
Rosemont is a village in Frederick County, Maryland, United States. The population was 273 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Rosemont is located at ....
|1.45
|
|MD 17 turns west onto Burkittsville Road
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|2.34
|Rosemont Drive south
|Rosemont Drive is unsigned MD 871G
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|2.55
|
|Roundabout
Roundabout
A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...
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|2.70
|
|Interchange
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|Burkittsville
Burkittsville, Maryland
Burkittsville is a town in Frederick County, Maryland, United States. The population was 171 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Burkittsville is located at ....
|9.47
|
|
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|Middletown
Middletown, Maryland
Middletown is a town in Frederick County, Maryland, United States. The population was 2,668 at the 2000 census. Middletown is a small, rural community steeped in American history...
|12.96
|
|
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|rowspan=3|Myersville
Myersville, Maryland
Myersville is a town in Frederick County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,382 at the 2000 census.-History:The Peter of P. Grossnickel Farm was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.-Geography:...
|18.25
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|I-70 Exit 42
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|19.02
|Main Street north
|MD 17 turns east onto Wolfsville Road
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|19.45
|
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|Ellerton
|21.10
|Harp Hill Road north – Wolfsville
Wolfsville, Maryland
Wolfsville is an unincorporated community in Frederick County, Maryland, United States.-References:...
|MD 17 turns east to remain on Wolfsville Road
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|rowspan=2|Wolfsville
Wolfsville, Maryland
Wolfsville is an unincorporated community in Frederick County, Maryland, United States.-References:...
|25.90
|Harp Hill Road south – Ellerton
|MD 17 turns north to remain on Wolfsville Road
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|29.49
|Garfield Road east / Loy Wolfe Road south / Wolfsville Road north – Smithsburg
Smithsburg, Maryland
Smithsburg is a town in Washington County, Maryland, United States. Its population was 2,146 at the 2000 census and latest 2008 estimates are at 2,908. Smithsburg is close to Fort Ritchie army base and just west of the presidential retreat Camp David....
|Northern terminus; Washington County
Washington County, Maryland
Washington County is a county located in the western part of the U.S. state of Maryland, bordering southern Pennsylvania to the north, northern Virginia to the south, and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia to the south and west. As of the 2010 Census, its population is 147,430...
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