Petersburg Tollhouse

The Petersburg Tollhouse is a stone building along U.S. Route 40 from the early 19th century that served to check and collect fees from travelers. It shows plain, practical construction with windows and a door, typical of control stations from that era.

The building was built in 1835 when the National Road was an important trade route going west through Pennsylvania. It marks a time when tollhouses were needed to fund and manage the new roads.

The building shows how travelers were checked in the 19th century and what role tollhouses played in daily traffic. Today it reminds us how important these stations were for managing the early American road network.

The building sits along Route 40 and is easy to spot from the road. Visitors should call ahead since it is not open daily and is managed by a local historic preservation group.

It is one of only three tollhouses from this era still standing in Pennsylvania, showing how rare these buildings survived. Most similar structures were torn down or fell into ruin, making this preserved example particularly valuable.

Location: Pennsylvania

GPS coordinates: 39.74639,-79.33500

Latest update: December 14, 2025 14:22