The Willow Street Turnpike Road Company was chartered on April 5, 1849 to build a private turnpike between Willow Street and Lancaster. On March 25, 1850, the Lancaster and Ephrata Turnpike and Plank Road Company was charted to build a turnpike between Lancaster and Ephrata. This turnpike became known as the Oregon Turnpike. When Pennsylvania first legislated routes in 1911, the road between Willow Street and Lancaster was designated as part of Legislative Route 136 while the road between Brownstown and Adamstown served as part of Legislative Route 148, which connected Lancaster to Reading. With the establishment of the U.S. Highway System in 1926, the road between Willow Street and Lancaster became a part of US 230 while the road between Brownstown and Adamstown was a part of US 222. In 1927, PA 72 was designated concurrent with US 230 between Willow Street and Lancaster while PA 41 ran concurrent with US 222 between Brownstown and Adamstown.