Roadside marker to be installed in Newberry Township after sitting in storage for decades

Teresa Boeckel, York Daily Record
·1 min read

Historical roadside markers that have been in storage for about 50 years in Newberry Township will be re-installed in the municipality.

The blue-and-yellow Keystone Markers initially were placed along roads throughout the state after World War I as part of the Good Roads movement. The signs feature the name of the town, the year it was founded, and the distance to the next town, a news release states.

One of the historical Keystone Markers that will be re-installed in Newberry Township. The signs stood along roads throughout the municipality years ago, but they have been in storage for about five decades. In recent years, an effort was made to repair them and put them back up.
One of the historical Keystone Markers that will be re-installed in Newberry Township. The signs stood along roads throughout the municipality years ago, but they have been in storage for about five decades. In recent years, an effort was made to repair them and put them back up.

Officials decided in the 1970s to place the expensive-to-maintain, cast-iron markers in storage after a driver struck one of them, said Dominish Marie Miller, the founder of Preserving the History of Newberrytown. Some residents of the area remember when they stood along the roads.

A couple of years ago, Miller approached township supervisors about repairing the nostalgic markers and putting them back up along the roads. They agreed.

One has been sandblasted and repainted. It will be installed at noon Monday, May 13, 2024 in front of the Newberry Township building and police station at 1915 Old Trail Road. The public is invited to attend.

"I think it's a great asset to the community," Miller said during a phone interview.

The project has been a collaboration among the township, Preserving the History of Newberrytown, the state Department of Transportation and the Keystone Marker Trust.

Does your town have a Keystone Marker?

The Keystone Marker Trust keeps a database of the blue-and-yellow markers and their locations. Some now stand in front of municipal buildings. Others remain along the roads.

Dallastown, for example, has a replica of a Keystone Marker. The original one is reportedly in a town museum, the database states.

To find whether your town has a marker and where it is located, visit keystonemarkertrust.org.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Keystone Markers, kept in storage for years, to be preserved in Newberry Twp.