As you stroll the streets, you can almost hear the click of hooves on cobblestones, tracing back to our town's early horse and buggy days in the late 18th century. Founded in 1793 by Nicholas Hall and William Plummer, New Market was a convenient stop along the historic National Pike for travelers in need of food, lodging and services.

High-wheeled, six-horse Conestoga wagons frequently stopped here with visitors on their way to the Ohio Country and beyond. The eight hotels and taverns lining Main Street provided travelers with a night's lodging for 25¢ and a glass of whiskey for a nickel. Beyond the hotels were barns and pens for livestock being herded to Baltimore markets. Wheelwrights, blacksmith shops, a tannery and wrough iron nail shops, as well as button and shoe factories, met the needs of the community and those passing through.

Today's travelers, history buffs, antique collectors and novices are welcomed by a Bed & Breakfast country inn, fine dining establishments, a general store and more than 30 anitque and specialty shops, New Market residents have worked hard to preserve the history and old-fashioned friendliness that makes this antiques headquarters unique.