U.S. Route 15 Business (Emmitsburg, Maryland)
Encyclopedia
U.S. Route 15 Business is an unsigned
business route of U.S. Route 15
in the U.S. state of Maryland
. Known as Seton Avenue, the highway runs 2.34 miles (3.8 km) between intersections with US 15 within Emmitsburg
in northern Frederick County
. US 15 Business serves the St. Joseph's College and Mother Seton Shrine
campuses, which are home to several emergency management institutions and a shrine dedicated to Elizabeth Ann Seton
, the first person born in the United States to be canonized
by the Roman Catholic Church
. The business route is old alignment of US 15. The highway was constructed in the mid 1910s. US 15 Business was assigned in the mid 1960s after US 15 bypassed Emmitsburg.
intersection with US 15 (Catoctin Mountain Highway) opposite county-maintained Old Frederick Road. Access to northbound US 15 requires following southbound US 15 to a median U-turn. US 15 Business heads north as a two-lane road that immediately intersects the old alignment of US 15, Old Emmitsburg Road, and crosses Toms Creek. The business route passes the campuses of St. Joseph's College and the Mother Seton Shrine. St. Joseph's College is a defunct liberal arts college for women whose operations were absorbed by Mount St. Mary's University. The campus is now the National Emergency Training Center, a Federal Emergency Management Agency
facility that is home of the National Fire Academy
, United States Fire Administration
, Emergency Management Institute
, and the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial
. The Seton Shrine comprises the Basilica of the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and St. Joseph's Provincial House of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul.
US 15 Business continues north into the Emmitsburg Historic District
, where the highway intersects MD 140 (Main Street) and passes St. Euphemia's School and Sisters' House
. The business route veers northeast and crosses Flat Run before approaching its northern terminus at US 15. Traffic from northbound US 15 Business to northbound US 15 is required to follow the ramp to southbound US 15 and turn around at US 15's interchange with MD 140. US 15 Business continues north to MD 873, an unnamed service road that parallels the southbound direction of US 15 toward the Pennsylvania
state line. That intersection is connected to a one-way southbound ramp from US 15's intersection with Welty Road. East of US 15, Welty Road immediately intersects Old Gettysburg Road, the old alignment of US 15 north towards Gettysburg
.
US 15 Business was designated US 15 in 1927. The highway was widened to 20 feet (6.1 m) through Emmitsburg around 1930. US 15 through Emmitsburg was reconstructed and widened again between 1952 and 1954. Construction on US 15's bypass of Emmitsburg began in 1963. The following year, a bypass of Old Gettysburg Road opened to tie into the southern end of the Gettysburg bypass that was constructed contemporaneously. The US 15 bypass opened in 1965 and the old alignment was marked as US 15 Business by 1967. The business route may have become unsigned by 1989. US 15 Business was truncated at the northern junction with US 15 by 1999. The southern intersection with US 15 was transformed into a directional crossover intersection with median U-turn in both directions on US 15 in 2004. The northern intersection was changed to remove access from northbound US 15 Business to northbound US 15 in 2007.
in Frederick County
.
{| class=wikitable
!Mile
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|0.00
|
|Southern terminus; superstreet
intersection
|-
|1.21
|
|
|-
|2.34
|
|Northern terminus; no access from northbound US 15 Business to northbound US 15
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...
business route of U.S. Route 15
U.S. Route 15 in Maryland
U.S. Route 15 is a part of the U.S. Highway System that runs from Walterboro, South Carolina to Painted Post, New York. In Maryland, the highway runs from the Virginia state line at the Potomac River in Point of Rocks north to the Pennsylvania state line near Emmitsburg. US 15 is...
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...
. Known as Seton Avenue, the highway runs 2.34 miles (3.8 km) between intersections with US 15 within Emmitsburg
Emmitsburg, Maryland
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 2,290 people, 811 households, and 553 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,992.9 people per square mile . There were 862 housing units at an average density of 750.2 per square mile...
in northern Frederick County
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....
. US 15 Business serves the St. Joseph's College and Mother Seton Shrine
St. Joseph's College and Mother Seton Shrine
St. Joseph's College and Mother Seton Shrine are two closely related campuses in Emmitsburg, Maryland.-St. Joseph's College:The campus is the original site of Saint Joseph’s Academy, a Catholic school for girls from 1809 until 1973. The St...
campuses, which are home to several emergency management institutions and a shrine dedicated to Elizabeth Ann Seton
Elizabeth Ann Seton
Saint Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton was the first native-born citizen of the United States to be canonized by the Roman Catholic Church . She established Catholic communities in Emmitsburg, Maryland....
, the first person born in the United States to be canonized
Canonization
Canonization is the act by which a Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process...
by the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. The business route is old alignment of US 15. The highway was constructed in the mid 1910s. US 15 Business was assigned in the mid 1960s after US 15 bypassed Emmitsburg.
Route description
US 15 Business begins at a superstreetSuperstreet
A superstreet is a type of road intersection that is a variation of the Michigan left. In this configuration, traffic on the minor road is not permitted to proceed straight across the major road or highway; traffic wishing to turn left or go straight must turn right onto the major road, make a...
intersection with US 15 (Catoctin Mountain Highway) opposite county-maintained Old Frederick Road. Access to northbound US 15 requires following southbound US 15 to a median U-turn. US 15 Business heads north as a two-lane road that immediately intersects the old alignment of US 15, Old Emmitsburg Road, and crosses Toms Creek. The business route passes the campuses of St. Joseph's College and the Mother Seton Shrine. St. Joseph's College is a defunct liberal arts college for women whose operations were absorbed by Mount St. Mary's University. The campus is now the National Emergency Training Center, a Federal Emergency Management Agency
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...
facility that is home of the National Fire Academy
National Fire Academy
The National Fire Academy is one of two schools in the United States operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency at the National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Operated and governed by the United States Fire Administration as part of the U.S...
, United States Fire Administration
United States Fire Administration
The United States Fire Administration is a division of the Federal Emergency Management Agency which in turn is managed by the Department of Homeland Security located in unincorporated Frederick County, Maryland, near Emmitsburg.-History:...
, Emergency Management Institute
Emergency Management Institute
The Emergency Management Institute of the United States Federal Emergency Management Agency conducts courses for local and regional public agency emergency managers and interested members of the public, where the courses are intended to improve the level of national emergency responsiveness to all...
, and the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial
National Fallen Firefighters Memorial
National Fallen Firefighters Memorial since 1990 is officially designated by the United States Congress as the National Memorial to career and volunteer fallen firefighters. Located in Emmitsburg, Maryland, it was conceived as a tribute to American fire service. The memorial was constructed in 1981...
. The Seton Shrine comprises the Basilica of the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and St. Joseph's Provincial House of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul.
US 15 Business continues north into the Emmitsburg Historic District
Emmitsburg Historic District
The Emmitsburg Historic District is a national historic district in Emmitsburg, Frederick County, Maryland. The district is predominantly residential and includes most of the older area of the town extending along Main Street and Seton Avenue. Also included are several commercial buildings and...
, where the highway intersects MD 140 (Main Street) and passes St. Euphemia's School and Sisters' House
St. Euphemia's School and Sisters' House
St. Euphemia's School and Sisters' House is a historic school building and convent located at Emmitsburg, Frederick County, Maryland. It is a late-19th century school complex that consists of two attached brick buildings: a two and half story school building built about 1890, and a house that was...
. The business route veers northeast and crosses Flat Run before approaching its northern terminus at US 15. Traffic from northbound US 15 Business to northbound US 15 is required to follow the ramp to southbound US 15 and turn around at US 15's interchange with MD 140. US 15 Business continues north to MD 873, an unnamed service road that parallels the southbound direction of US 15 toward the Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
state line. That intersection is connected to a one-way southbound ramp from US 15's intersection with Welty Road. East of US 15, Welty Road immediately intersects Old Gettysburg Road, the old alignment of US 15 north towards Gettysburg
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Gettysburg is a borough that is the county seat, part of the Gettysburg Battlefield, and the eponym for the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg. The town hosts visitors to the Gettysburg National Military Park and has 3 institutions of higher learning: Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg College, and...
.
History
US 15 Business is the old alignment of US 15 through Emmitsburg. The portion of the highway south of Main Street was originally part of the Frederick and Emmitsburg Turnpike, while the highway north of Main Street was part of the Gettysburg Road toward the eponymous Pennsylvania town. The path of the turnpike was marked for improvement by the Maryland State Roads Commission as one of the original state roads in 1909. The turnpike was purchased by the state in 1911. However, the first portion of present day US 15 Business to be improved was the Gettysburg Road; the highway from Main Street to the state line was paved with a 14 feet (4.3 m) wide macadam surface in 1915. The turnpike from Thurmont to Emmitsburg was resurfaced with a 14 feet (4.3 m) wide macadam surface between 1915 and 1919.US 15 Business was designated US 15 in 1927. The highway was widened to 20 feet (6.1 m) through Emmitsburg around 1930. US 15 through Emmitsburg was reconstructed and widened again between 1952 and 1954. Construction on US 15's bypass of Emmitsburg began in 1963. The following year, a bypass of Old Gettysburg Road opened to tie into the southern end of the Gettysburg bypass that was constructed contemporaneously. The US 15 bypass opened in 1965 and the old alignment was marked as US 15 Business by 1967. The business route may have become unsigned by 1989. US 15 Business was truncated at the northern junction with US 15 by 1999. The southern intersection with US 15 was transformed into a directional crossover intersection with median U-turn in both directions on US 15 in 2004. The northern intersection was changed to remove access from northbound US 15 Business to northbound US 15 in 2007.
Junction list
The entire route is in EmmitsburgEmmitsburg, Maryland
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 2,290 people, 811 households, and 553 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,992.9 people per square mile . There were 862 housing units at an average density of 750.2 per square mile...
in Frederick County
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....
.
{| class=wikitable
!Mile
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|0.00
|
|Southern terminus; superstreet
Superstreet
A superstreet is a type of road intersection that is a variation of the Michigan left. In this configuration, traffic on the minor road is not permitted to proceed straight across the major road or highway; traffic wishing to turn left or go straight must turn right onto the major road, make a...
intersection
|-
|1.21
|
|
|-
|2.34
|
|Northern terminus; no access from northbound US 15 Business to northbound US 15