12 Miles on the Turnpike - Bensalem, PA
N 40° 04.020 W 074° 58.296
18T E 502421 N 4435193
This very historic survey marker is a big gray, tombstone looking miles marker shows the mileage along this historic road.
Waymark Code: WMACF9
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 12/25/2010
Views: 12
Along historic Bristol Pike, just over the Philadelphia border are a couple of these mid to early 19th century road markers established by surveys in the days of horses and buggies. Miraculously, they still survive today. On this particular stone marker, the mileage of 12 T is heavily incised in large, bold strokes. I checked on Google and it exactly 16 miles to Trenton so I think the stone has nothing to do with Trenton. I found another stone about 7 miles away with a new historic marker in front of the stone mile marker explaining the significance of that marker. Because the 19 T marker it is part of this series, I thought it was particularly relevant so I have included the text of it to maybe help explain the significance of this waymark. It reads:
Marker 19T indicates the distance between here and Market St. in Phila along the Phila-Frankford Turnpike to Morrisvile, PA. Road through Bristol was finished in 1810. There is a caveat, which I cannot authenticate, beneath the picture which reads "Note that the stone inscription is incorrect; the mileage for the turnpike is calculated from Front Street near Germantown Ave., not from Market".
The 4-foot stone is 4 feet from the curb and intersection of Bristol Pike (Route 13) and RIchardson Avenue. It is on the property of Irvin's Citgo Gas Station located at 919 Bristol Pike Bensalem, PA 19020. I spoke to the folks in the garage and they directed me to another exact stone, 1 miles down the road inscribed with 13 T. After reading this I got curious and extended a line from the location of the marker all the way to the very beginning of Route 13 or the Kings Highway and Lo and Behold, its 12 miles! Aha!, the marker is in its original and is pretty accurate.
HERE is a fantastic link which lists all the historic markers in the immediate quadrant. Clicking on the picture, I learned that the maintenance and recovery of this historic stone was an Eagle Scout project by BSA Troop 132, May 18, 2003. This information is on a small metallic tag attached to a modern concrete base which supports this mile marker. I found the picture HERE. The original installation picture leads me to believe there is a slight chance the stone was moved from its original location and relocated here. I also may be wrong due to the accuracy of the distance I confirmed using GoogleEarth.
I found another source, Lower Northeast Philadelphia By Louis M. Iatarola, Lynn-Carmela T. Iatarola, The Historical Society of Tacony, page 8. Here is an excerpt from the book about the string of markers, including this one, along the Bristol Pike, which apparently, after reading the passage, has many other names as well:
