 = Old Baltimore Pike = 
 
 Old Baltimore Pike is a road in the U.S. state of Delaware . The road , known as New Castle County Road 26 , runs from Maryland Route 281 ( MD 281 ) at the Maryland state line south of Newark , Delaware and continues east to Christiana , ending near Delaware Route 1 ( DE 1 ) . The road is paralleled by Interstate 95 ( I @-@ 95 , Delaware Turnpike ) to the north and U.S. Route 40 ( US 40 , Pulaski Highway ) to the south . The Old Baltimore Pike was built before 1720 and connected Elkton , Maryland to Christiana . It was a turnpike called the Elk and Christiana Turnpike between 1817 and 1838 . In the past it served as a major connection between Philadelphia and Baltimore . 
 
 = = Route description = = 
 
 Old Baltimore Pike begins at the Delaware – Maryland state line near Newark , Delaware , where the highway continues west into that state as MD 281 . The road heads northeast from the state line through wooded residential areas as a two @-@ lane undivided road , intersecting Otts Chapel Road before passing south of Iron Hill Park . Old Baltimore Pike crosses DE 896 and enters rural areas . Here , the roadway passes Cooch 's Bridge , a historic battle site of the American Revolutionary War . It then crosses Norfolk Southern 's Delmarva Secondary railroad line and encounters DE 72 . 
 After this intersection , Old Baltimore Pike continues past suburban neighborhoods , gaining a center left @-@ turn lane and intersecting Salem Church Road . Farther east , the highway reaches a junction with DE 273 in a wooded area . At this point , the road narrows to two lanes again and heads into the community of Christiana . Here , the highway intersects DE 7 , where it turns north and follows that route through residential areas . The road comes to an interchange with DE 1 to the west of the Christiana Mall , where DE 7 continues north along with DE 1 and Old Baltimore Pike reaches a dead end . 
 
 = = History = = 
 
 The Old Baltimore Pike was built before 1720 . The road was known as the Great Road and ran between Head of Elk ( now Elkton , Maryland ) and Christiana Bridge . It was later known as the Christiana @-@ Elkton Turnpike before becoming Old Baltimore Pike . This path served as a major connection between Philadelphia and Baltimore in addition to providing access between the shipping area of Christiana Bridge and agricultural areas in northern Delaware , northern Maryland , and southeastern Pennsylvania . In 1723 , Welsh Tract settlers pushed for the road to be improved . This road was part of the Washington – Rochambeau Revolutionary Route that was used by the French army during their march from Newport , Rhode Island to Yorktown during the Revolutionary War , passing through the area in September 1781 . 
 The road , also known as Old Post Road , was incorporated in 1813 as the Elk and Christiana Turnpike in order to get more money for repairs . The turnpike was completed in April 1817 . As a turnpike , tolls were collected to pay for the maintenance of the road . The construction of the New Castle and Frenchtown Railroad lowered the revenues of the turnpike and it became a public road again in 1838 . The road historically went through agricultural areas ; however , the surroundings have become more developed over the years . Much of the Old Baltimore Pike remains two lanes . 
 
 = = Major intersections = = 
 
 The entire route is in New Castle County . 
 
 