Throughout the history of transportation in the United States, many highway designations have come and gone. Some of those, such as US 66 and US 99, have celebrated histories, and continue to live on in pop culture. However, some have quietly faded away and have become forgotten by many.
US 213 is one of the latter.
Created as one of the original "US Highway" designations in 1926, US 213 served as the Maryland Eastern Shore's "main drag". It, along with it's parent (US 13) and other sibling (US 113), served as the Delmarva Peninsula's primary highways. It met it's parent route in Salisbury, and it's sibling in Berlin.
As it was signed in 1926, US 213 began in Ocean City. It traveled through the small towns of Berlin, Whaleyville, Pittsville, and Parsonsburg, and served as the main street of Salisbury. From there, it crossed the Nanticoke River into Vienna and turned north, where it served as the main street for the towns of Hurlock and Preston. It crossed the Choptank River in Talbot County, and headed to Easton. From there, it headed north once again, and went through the towns of Wye Mills and Centreville. After another scenic crossing of the Chester River, it entered Chestertown, and continued to Galena. There, it turned left, crossing the Sassafras River in Georgetown, and the Bohemia River near Cecilton. It continued north, crossing the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal at Chesapeake City, before ending in Elkton at US 40.
In 1936, US 213 had it's first major rerouting. When a new drawbridge was built in Cambridge crossing the Choptank River, US 213 was moved to travel through Cambridge between Vienna and Easton. The original alignment, which went through Rhodesdale, Hurlock, and Preston, became MD 331. It remains as such today.
1949 was the beginning of the end of US 213. In preparation of the construction of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, US 50 (which originally ended in Annapolis) was routed across the ferry that served the Chesapeake Bay, replacing MD 404 from the ferry crossing at Matapeake (near Stevensville) to Wye Mills, and US 213 from Wye Mills to Ocean City. Both MD 404 and US 213 had their respective termini moved to Wye Mills. This left US 213 severed from both it's parent and sibling routes, and cut the route's length by more than half.
In 1972, AASHTO (the organization that approves route designations) decided that in order for routes to be signed as "US Highways", they had to either (a) travel through at least 2 states, or (b) be more than 300 miles long. This was the death knell for US 213. Since it didn't meet either of the decided criteria, it was forced to be designated as a state highway, and became MD 213.
As it stands today, most of what was once signed as US 213 remains an open roadway, in some shape or form. Most of the route from Wye Mills to Ocean City serves as part of US 50 today. The original routing from Vienna to Easton remains pretty much as it was when it was bypassed in 1936 as MD 331. Other sections are signed Maryland highways (MD 346, MD 565, MD 662, MD 707). Some sections are signed as local roads. Others are abandoned together.
Using the interactive map below, explore what was once US 213. Click on the markers to view pictures and other information on what you'd see along what was the Maryland Eastern Shore's main highway.
