La Vale Toll Gate House - La Vale, MD
Posted by: 
silverquill
N 39° 38.283 W 078° 51.136
17S E 684302 N 4389789
Erected in 1833, this unique seven-sided building was the first toll house on the Cumberland Road, later to become our National Road. See the photo gallery!
Waymark Code: WM3KR5
Location: Maryland, United States
Date Posted: 04/17/2008
Views: 23
President Thomas Jefferson initiated development of the National Road in 1806. However, it wasn’t until 1836, the Federal Government constructed the LaVale, Maryland Toll Gate House as part of the National Road System. That same year, after construction was completed, ownership was turned over to the State of Maryland.
The house’s two-story seven-sided main structure contains windows positioned both upstairs and down that allowed the gatekeeper to see traffic clearly in both directions along the road. In the first year of operation (1837) toll was collected from more than 20,000 travelers. By 1850, eight stagecoach lines operated over the National Road, with a typical travel time of 48 hours over the 266 mile route between Baltimore, MD and Wheeling, WV.
The National Road flourished through the 1850’s, but after the railroad was completed use of the road declined and the Toll Gate House fell into disrepair. State of Maryland control ended in 1878 when the road was turned over to the counties. Allegany County operated its section of road and continued to collect tolls until about 1900. Between 1913 and 1956 the structure was privately owned and occupied by numerous families. In 1956 the State of Maryland purchased the structure and restoration was undertaken in 1966 with the assistance of the GFCW LaVale Century Club.
Finally, in 1989 Allegany County regained ownership from the Maryland Historical Trust. In 1998 another extensive restoration was completed, funded by the County, and administered by the GFCW LaVale Century Club. The structure was professionally restored on the interior and red brick exterior was painted white. New tourist facilities were built including bus parking, handicapped accessible rest rooms and a picnic pavilion.
The toll house structure is the original building on the original site.