What’s Hiding Beside This Path?

I really enjoy seeing stuff like this. You’re on an old railroad bed, and you didn’t expect to see anything, and then you see a knee-high concrete post sitting off by itself with a purpose. It’s fascinating to come across what might have been an old road marker.

This is why a state road department (State Road Department) right-of-way marker is so cool. It appears to be nothing special, yet it gives you a tremendous amount of information.

What It Is

A State Road Department (SRD) right-of-way marker indicates the official boundary of a road corridor. “R/W” is short for right of way. Therefore, this is a property line marker for the road.

You might think this sounds dull, but it changes everything. The next time you view a simple concrete post, you will know it’s more than that. You are viewing evidence of the fact that the road adjacent to it was surveyed, developed and maintained as an official road.

Why It Matters

Roads have a tendency to quickly go away. Roads become obsolete due to traffic being rerouted to a new location, maintenance ceases and trees and brush grow back to cover the road. After some time the road turns into a faint trail in the woods.

But the marker often remains.

Therefore, a State Road Department (SRD) right-of-way marker has significance. It can endure longer than the pavement, signs, and even the collective memory of local residents. Even when the road has been completely forgotten, the SRD right-of-way marker will continue to indicate its former presence.

What It Tells You

Markers such as these normally mean there could be additional items nearby. The markers were generally placed at regular intervals, especially at curves, intersections or where the road narrows.

When you locate one of these markers, you begin to recognize other signs too. A low-lying depression. An elevated area. Gravel and/or crushed stone incorporated into the soil. No longer are the woods viewed as disorganized. Instead they appear to be remnants of a planned route.

Why I Like Finding Things Like This

Large historic sites attract immediate attention. Historic buildings, bridges, etc., are easily appreciated because of their large size and prominence. A State Road Department (SRD) right-of-way marker is unique; it is small, unassuming, and can easily be overlooked.

That is why I like it.

It reminds me that history is often created using normal everyday objects. A concrete post. A road edge. A daily route that people traveled along without giving much thought to.

Years later that same SRD right-of-way marker is likely one of the last visible indications that the road existed at all.

Still Standing

That little concrete post in the woods is more than a relic of a bygone era of infrastructure. It serves to mark the edge of an old road and preserve a piece of local history in the most basic form.

One marker. One old roadbed. One reminder that history does not always vanish. At times it simply stands silently in the woods waiting to be discovered.