Pencader residents who grew up prior to 1950 vividly remember that Old Baltimore Pike was paved only on 1 lane from Rt. 896 to the Maryland line. Memory says both lanes were paved by 1956-57.
Rt. 72 or Sunset Lake Road (then called Purgatory Swamp Road) was paved on one lane from Rt. 13 to Rt. 40 and dirt from there to Newark
Ott’s Chapel Road was also only nine feet wide.
Driving a nine foot road was a small adventure, especially for the novice driver. Travelers who should have been on the gravel side were prone to use the paved lane most of the time, as traffic was not heavy. One needed to be alert for on-coming traffic and be prepared to take evasive action.
Pencader was not the only area with nine foot roads. Some small remnants remain in other areas of Newark.
| Webpage Updated: FLR on: 01/16/08 |