At the eastern end of the Pennsylvania Road, the Lancaster Turnpike, once the finest road in America, fell steadily into decay. In 1880 the company served notice on the township supervisors of its intent to abandon 17 miles of road. These sections were then “disturnpiked” and returned to public control. A little later, the company sold 35 miles of road to other companies for $40,000, to be used, partly at least, for a railroad bed, and in 1899 the company sold all of its remaining interest in the turnpike for $10 a share—one-thirtieth of what it sold for 100 years before. The Lancaster Turnpike Road Company was dissolved in February 1902.[1]
With variation in detail, hundreds of other turnpikes met the same fate as the Lancaster Pike, most of them eventually reverting to the local authorities for maintenance.
Paradoxically, as the older through turnpikes collapsed, new charters were being issued for feeder roads to the railroads. Thus, the number of new charters did not diminish greatly until about 1875.[2] Many of the newly chartered feeders enjoyed a measure of prosperity and maintained themselves until condemned or bought out by the States or local governments in the early 20th century.
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