The historic, federal styled town of New Market was founded in 1793 by two gentlemen of the area, Nicholas Hall and William Plummer. From its earliest days, it was a convenient stop for travelers in need of food, lodging, and services along the turnpike from Baltimore to Frederick.

The first post office in New Market was established in 1800. In 1818, the turnpike became the eastern section of the National Pike, an integral part of the route taken by the multitudes who opened America’s western frontier. The road carried freight and conestoga wagons loaded with grain, whiskey, tobacco, lumber, iron, furs, and other products. Passenger coaches and fancy buggies stopped at the hotels, inns, and taverns in town. Herds of cattle, sheep, and pigs were driven through town to market. Peddlers came with carts, and many travelers came on foot carrying all they owned on their backs.

The heaviest migration west occurred in the period between 1820 and 1850. To meet the demands, New Market had two hotels, eight taverns, five inns, two tailor shops, five dry goods and grocery stores, three tanneries, a number of wheelwright and blacksmith shops, wagon stands, livery stables, and livestock pens.

After the town was incorporated in 1878, the first governing bodies spent many years enacting ordinances for animal control, lighting, and upkeep of the streets, alleys, and community wells. By 1886, the town tax levy was $.10 per $100. Today it is still only $.30 per $100!

The volume of travel along the National Pike receded in the 1870s when the B&O Railroad became the favored mode of transportation westward. The town became a retirement community for local farmers. Then in 1936, Stoll Kemp opened an antique shop in New Market, and the town’s new industry was born—the sale of antiques. Once again New Market was welcoming travelers and extending its hospitality to all who “came down the Pike.”

Known as the “Antiques Capital of Maryland,” New Market now offers a concentration of establishments where visitors can browse and purchase the treasures of yesteryear. Fine bed-and-breakfast accommodations and dining facilities in formal and casual settings are available.

In 1975, New Market was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1986, the town received the Maryland Preservation Service Award.