Maryland Route 496
Encyclopedia
Maryland Route 496 is a state highway
in the U.S. state of Maryland
. Known as Bachmans Valley Road, the state highway runs 7.23 miles (11.6 km) from MD 97
near Pleasant Valley
east to MD 30
in Melrose. MD 496 was constructed from Pleasant Valley to Bachman Mills in the mid-1930s. The state highway was completed to Melrose in the late 1940s.
. The state highway heads northeast as a two-lane road through farmland. MD 496 crosses Bear Branch, on which lies the Bear Branch Nature Center, and passes Saw Mill Road, which leads to the Whittaker Chambers Farm
. The state highway intersects Old Bachmans Valley Road just south of the hamlet of Bachman Mills, where the highway crosses Big Pipe Creek. Old Bachmans Valley Road leads southwest to the historic Christian Royer House
and John Orendorff Farm
. MD 496 continues northeast to the community of Melrose north of Manchester
, where the state highway reaches its eastern terminus at MD 30 (Hanover Pike). The roadway continues northeast as county-maintained Wentz Road.
(now MD 97) to Bachman Mills were completed as a concrete road by 1933. The next segment of the state highway was constructed from Bachman Mills to near Hoover Mill Road between 1934 and 1936. Traffic from Bachman Mills to Melrose followed county-maintained Ebbvale Road until MD 496 was completed as a macadam road on a new alignment to MD 30 in 1947.
.
{| class=wikitable
!Location
!Mile
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|Pleasant Valley
|0.00
|
|Western terminus
|-
|Melrose
|7.23
|
|Eastern terminus
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...
. Known as Bachmans Valley Road, the state highway runs 7.23 miles (11.6 km) from MD 97
Maryland Route 97
Maryland Route 97 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The route runs from U.S. Route 29 in Silver Spring, Montgomery County north to the Pennsylvania border in Carroll County, where the road continues into that state as Pennsylvania Route 97...
near Pleasant Valley
Pleasant Valley, Carroll County, Maryland
Pleasant Valley is an unincorporated community in Carroll County, Maryland, United States.Pleasant Valley also has a Volunteer Fire Company which hosts many county events throughout the year-References:...
east to MD 30
Maryland Route 30
Maryland Route 30 is a state highway in Central Maryland region in the U.S. state of Maryland. It serves as one of the major north–south routes of central Maryland.-Route description:...
in Melrose. MD 496 was constructed from Pleasant Valley to Bachman Mills in the mid-1930s. The state highway was completed to Melrose in the late 1940s.
Route description
MD 496 begins at an intersection with MD 97 (Littlestown Pike) near the hamlet of Pleasant Valley north of WestminsterWestminster, Maryland
Westminster is a city in northern Maryland, United States. It is the seat of Carroll County. The city's population was 18,590 at the 2010 census. Westminster is an outlying community within the Baltimore-Towson, MD MSA, which is part of a greater Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV...
. The state highway heads northeast as a two-lane road through farmland. MD 496 crosses Bear Branch, on which lies the Bear Branch Nature Center, and passes Saw Mill Road, which leads to the Whittaker Chambers Farm
Whittaker Chambers Farm
The Whitaker Chambers Farm, also known as Pipe Creek Farm, was the home "of Whittaker Chambers, an ex-Communist whose revelations about his past espionage activities with Alger Hiss, a former State Department official, had major political repercussions after World War II...
. The state highway intersects Old Bachmans Valley Road just south of the hamlet of Bachman Mills, where the highway crosses Big Pipe Creek. Old Bachmans Valley Road leads southwest to the historic Christian Royer House
Christian Royer House
The Christian Royer House is a historic home located at Westminster, Carroll County, Maryland, United States. It was built about 1828, and served dual functions as a farmhouse and a Church of the Brethren meeting house. The house is two stories of brick, with a five-bay by two-bay main section and...
and John Orendorff Farm
John Orendorff Farm
The John Orendorff Farm is a historic home and farm complex located at Westminster, Carroll County, Maryland, United States. The complex consists of a brick house, a brick privy, a brick smokehouse, a frame barn, a frame hog pen, a frame wagon shed, two poultry houses, and a feed house. The house...
. MD 496 continues northeast to the community of Melrose north of Manchester
Manchester, Maryland
Manchester, Maryland, is a small incorporated town in Northeastern Carroll County, Maryland located on the Eastern coast of the United States of America just South of the Pennsylvania State line and North of Baltimore, Maryland...
, where the state highway reaches its eastern terminus at MD 30 (Hanover Pike). The roadway continues northeast as county-maintained Wentz Road.
History
The first sections of MD 496 from what was then U.S. Route 140U.S. Route 140
U.S. Route 140 U.S. Route 140 U.S. Route 140 ( was a U.S. highway connecting Gettysburg, Pennsylvania to Baltimore, Maryland. The route was deleted from the system in 1980; today the road's route is followed by portions of Pennsylvania Route 97, Maryland Route 97, and Maryland Route 140.Though it...
(now MD 97) to Bachman Mills were completed as a concrete road by 1933. The next segment of the state highway was constructed from Bachman Mills to near Hoover Mill Road between 1934 and 1936. Traffic from Bachman Mills to Melrose followed county-maintained Ebbvale Road until MD 496 was completed as a macadam road on a new alignment to MD 30 in 1947.
Junction list
The entire route is in Carroll CountyCarroll County, Maryland
Carroll County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. In 2010, its population was 167,134. It was named for Charles Carroll of Carrollton , signer of the American Declaration of Independence. Its county seat is Westminster....
.
{| class=wikitable
!Location
!Mile
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|Pleasant Valley
Pleasant Valley, Carroll County, Maryland
Pleasant Valley is an unincorporated community in Carroll County, Maryland, United States.Pleasant Valley also has a Volunteer Fire Company which hosts many county events throughout the year-References:...
|0.00
|
|Western terminus
|-
|Melrose
|7.23
|
|Eastern terminus