| Maryland, Baltimore — Baltimore Riot Trail — Last Shots at Camden Station |
| | Baltimore – A House Divided (Preface):On April 19, 1861, Confederate sympathisers attacked the 6th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment as it changed trains en route to Washington, which the secessionists hoped to isolate. To learn more about the Baltimore Riot, the city’s role in the Civil War, and railroad history, please visit the Baltimore Civil War Museum—President Street Station, at the corner of President and Fleet Streets. Open daily 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Part of . . . — Map (db m711) |
| Maryland (Allegany County), Cumberland — Cumberland Gateway Westward |
| | Will's Creek Settlement, later known as Cumberland, served as a major gateway for trade, military campaigns against the French, and settlement beyond the mountains in our growing nation. "The New Storehouses" of the Ohio Company were across the river beyond the present highway bridge. The streams before you, the Caiuctucuc (Wills Creek) to your left and the Cohongaronta (Potomac River) to the front and right, were a source of food and transportation. Near this spot, in January, 1755, Governor . . . — Map (db m17783) |
| Maryland (Baltimore County), Ellicott City — Ellicott’s Mills |
| | Established 1772 by the three Ellicott brothers from Bucks County, Pennsylvania. They opened the road from here to Baltimore. The B. and O. R. R. was completed to this point May 20, 1830. — Map (db m175) |
| Maryland (Baltimore County), Relay — A Rural Vacation Spot |
| | Beginning in 1873, the picturesque Viaduct Station Hotel complimented the Thomas Viaduct. The Viaduct Hotel was built in the town of Relay as a rural vacation spot and a comfortable place for passangers to change trains. The hotel was a forerunner of many notable station hotels constructed by the B&O and other railroads.
Designed by B&O architect E. Francis Baldwin, the station's gothic architecture with extravagant stonework, grand towers and many windows belied its modest size. An . . . — Map (db m8833) |
| Maryland (Baltimore County), Relay — Masterpiece of the Early B&O Railroad |
| | Before you stands the thomas Viaduct, named after Philip E. Thomas, the first president of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. This unique bridge has become an enduring symbol of the B&O Railroad and the Patapsco Valley, surviving several floods and outlasting many modern structures.
In 1833, B&O engineers sough to build a first-class railroad line with gentle curves and low grades from Baltimore to Washington D.C. Spanning the cavernous Patapsco Valley was a formidable challenge. Benjamin . . . — Map (db m8834) |
| Maryland (Baltimore County), Relay — Site of Old Relay Station and Hotel |
| | Baltimore & Ohio Railroad.
Here in 1830, passengers on B&O horse-drawn cars stopped to eat at the Relay House.
Meanwhile, the relays of horses were changed for the remainder of the 13 mile journey between Baltimore and Ellicott’s Mills, hence the name Relay.
In 1835, a second station superseded the earlier one.
In 1872, a large combination passenger station and hotel was erected on this spot. It was razed in 1950.
This stone is from that building. — Map (db m2502) |
| Maryland (Baltimore County), Relay — The Thomas Viaduct |
| | Commenced, July 4th, 1833. Finished July 4th, 1835.
Johnathan Knight, Chief Engineer, Caspar W. Wever, Superintendent of Construction. Designed by Benjamin H. Latrobe. Built by John McCartney of Ohio.
(Other two sides of the monument list company directors.) — Map (db m127) |
| Maryland (Frederick County), Brunswick — Train No. 286 Bell Memorial |
| | (below the window) Preserve the memory of train crew by ringing this bell for Ricky, Jimmy and Jim.
(above the window) The bricks which make up the base of the bell memorial came from the B & O roundhouse that once stood in Brunswick, Maryland. The bell is similar to the one that was aboard car #7762 on #P-286 on February 16, 1996.
(adjacent stone marker) In memory • Ricky Orr, Engineer • Jimmy Major Jr., Conductor • Jim Quillen, Asst. Conductor • Heroes of P#286 . . . — Map (db m1981) |
| Maryland (Frederick County), Frederick — The Lower Depot Neighborhood / The Frederick Brick Works |
| | (North Facing Side): The Lower Depot Neighborhood The railroad transformed 19th century America, facilitating long-distance travel and the efficient transfer of raw materials to factories and agricultural and manufactured goods to markets. For Frederick this transformation began in 1831 when the nation's first railroad, the Baltimore & Ohio, opened a branch line to the city. The first B&O depot stood east of South Carroll Street. (Upper Right Sidebar): In 1872, the Frederick & . . . — Map (db m2823) |
| Maryland (Frederick County), Point of Rocks — Battle at Point of Rocks |
| | This [railroad] company was met by the most decided and inveterate opposition, on the part of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company. Philip E. Thomas, President, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company The proximity of railroad tracks by the canal belies the intense battle over the right-of-way between the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. The idea route west lay on this narrow strip of land between the river and the mountains. Both the canal and the railroad . . . — Map (db m7661) |
| Maryland (Frederick County), Point of Rocks — Point of Rocks — Confederates Capture Train |
| | Gettysburg Campaign. In mid-June 1863, with rumors of a pending reinvasion of Maryland by Confederate forces, most Baltimore and Ohio trains stopped running past here. As tension mounted, the New York Times reported that no trains were departing Baltimore, “except the mail train to Harpers Ferry and the accommodation for Frederick.” In the predawn hours of June 17, Confederate cavalry crossed the Potomac River and attacked Union cavalry at nearby Catoctin Station, while another . . . — Map (db m743) |
| Maryland (Frederick County), Point of Rocks — Point of Rocks — Point of Rocks During the War |
| | The rail line immediately before you served as an important means of supply and communication during the Civil War (the station, and tracks to Washington, D.C., on the southern or right side of the station were built later). Here at Point of Rocks, formerly Trammelstown, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad reached the banks of the Potomac River from Baltimore. This narrow strip of bottomland, which allowed passage beyond the Blue Ridge’s Catoctin and South Mountain ranges, had been the subject of a . . . — Map (db m744) |
| Maryland (Garrett County), Deer Park — Cleveland Cottage |
| | President Grover Cleveland and his bride, the former Frances Folsom, arrived here the day following their White House wedding on June 2, 1886. They spent their honeymoon at this Deer Park Hotel cottage. — Map (db m470) |
| Maryland (Garrett County), Deer Park — Deer Park Hotel |
| | Built by the B&O Railroad, opened July 4, 1873 and operated until 1929. Razed 1942. This was one of the most exclusive mountain resorts in the east. Many nationally prominent people, including four United States Presidents, were guests here. — Map (db m5413) |
| Maryland (Garrett County), Mountain Lake Park — You Were Gone Before We Knew It |
| | No long farewell embraces,
No time to say goodbye,
You were gone before we knew it.
And no matter how we try,
Our tears can’t build a stairway,
Nor our memories a lane,
That reaches up to Heaven,
To bring you home again.
So with each day’s sunrise,
Each spring with flowers new,
We thank God for His blessings,
Those precious days with you.
Dedicated to the Memory of the Children who died on September 10, 1959, at the Mountain Lake Park railroad crossing on . . . — Map (db m480) |
| Maryland (Garrett County), Oakland — 1884 Oakland Train Station |
| | Given the architectural design term "Queen Ann Style" by its architect E. Francis Baldwin, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's "1884 Oakland Train Station" is the third building to occupy this location. The first station was a small, square two-story wooden building constructed shortly after the railroad passed through Oakland in October 1851. It was destroyed by fire in 1874, when the Glades Hotel across the tracks burned. A one story utility building served as the station until the present . . . — Map (db m399) |
| Maryland (Garrett County), Oakland — A Bit of History - The Fireside |
| | The large stone fireplace that now stands like a sentinel along the railroad tracks is a solitary reminder of Oakland's colorful hey-day. In the late 1800’s the area from here to the B&O station was a virtual beehive of activity. With twelve passenger trains arriving daily, the numerous hotels and establishments along Second Street and the now extinct Railroad Street were alive with throngs of people from east and west. One such establishment on Railroad Street was J.J. Raynold's Café and . . . — Map (db m488) |
| Maryland (Garrett County), Oakland — Fort Alice — Railroad Bridge Destroyed |
| | On April 26, 1863, during the Confederate occupation of Oakland, a detachment of Confederate Capt. John H. McNeill's partisan rangers attacked the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad bridge here over the Youghiogheny River. They were part of a larger group that entered Oakland that Sunday as Confederate Gen. William E. “Grumble” Jones led an incursion into West Virginia and Maryland to hamper rail movements of Federal troops and supplies. The Confederates disarmed the small garrison at Fort . . . — Map (db m481) |
| Maryland (Garrett County), Oakland — Garrett Memorial Church — (St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church) |
| | Directly behind you, John W. Garrett built Garrett Memorial Church in 1869 as a memorial to his brother Henry S. Garrett who died in 1867. The site was originally chosen by his brother for a church, but he died before steps could be taken to build it. Early residents referred to it as “the stone church” since it was the first church in Oakland to be completely constructed of this material. The Garrett brothers had a long affiliation with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and the . . . — Map (db m467) |
| Maryland (Garrett County), Oakland — Oakland - Confederate Railroad Raid |
| | On Sunday, April 26, 1863, a detachment of Confederate Capt. John H. McNeill's partisan rangers under Col. A. W. Harman attacked the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad facilities here in Oakland. They were part of Confederate Gen. William E. “Grumble” Jones’ incursion into West Virginia and Maryland to hamper the rail movements of Federal troops and supplies.
The town was defended by Company O, 6th West Virginia Infantry, a Preston County unit. The Confederates arrived about 11 a.m. . . . — Map (db m485) |
| Maryland (Garrett County), Oakland — The Glades Hotel |
| | Facing the railroad tracks directly in front of you was the Glades Hotel. Deriving its name from the nearby area called “Youghiogheny Glades,” the Glades Hotel was built in the mid-1850’s by Perry Lyle directly across the tracks from the 1851 Oakland railroad station. John Dailey, who gradually extended it parallel to the tracks tripling its original length, purchased it in 1859. Among guests at the hotel were a number of railroad officials and, before the Civil War, U.S. Senator . . . — Map (db m468) |
| Maryland (Garrett County), Swanton — Altamont – Confederate Railroad Raid |
| | On April 26, 1963, a detachment of Confederate Capt. John H. McNeill’s partisan rangers attacked the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad facilities here at Altamont. They were part of a larger group that entered Oakland that Sunday as Confederate Gen. William E. “Grumble” Jones led an incursion into West Virginia and Maryland to hamper the rail movements of Federal troops and supplies.
Capt. Edward H. McDonald led the ranger detachment into Altamont to destroy the facilities here. . . . — Map (db m483) |
| Maryland (Howard County), Ellicott City — Road Versus Rails — The Rivalry Begins |
| | Ellicott City’s Main Street is the National
Pike, part of the road system that moved
Americans west. Only two decades after the
road was constructed, a new transportation
rival appeared. In 1831, America’s first
railroad, the Baltimore & Ohio, introduced
steam engines to the Patapsco River Valley.
The rivalry between the road and the
railroad came together here.
Noisy, dirty, and at first, unreliable, the
railroad soon gained the upper hand. By 1840,
a stage coach trip to . . . — Map (db m720) |
| Maryland (Howard County), Savage — Bollman Iron Truss Bridge — 1869 |
| | Spanning the Little Patuxent River is the sole surviving example of the bridging system invented, 1850, by Wendel Bollman, Baltimore engineer. It was the first system, entirely of iron, used by the Baltimore and Ohio railroad and the first in America. Through 1873 the company built about 100 such bridges. — Map (db m98) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Bethesda — The Georgetown Branch Railroad |
| | The Capital Crescent Trail follows the route of an old railroad line called the Georgetown Branch of the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O). It's all that remains of an unrealized attempt by the B&O to construct a major rail link between the Baltimore-Washington area and southern states. Had it been successfully developed, this part of the Washington area might look very different today.
In the late 1880s, the B&O was eager to capture more business in southern states but lacked a good Potomac River . . . — Map (db m83) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Gaithersburg — Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Station |
| | Built: 1884. The Gaithersburg Railroad Station and freight house were built in 1884 as handsome replacements for the adjacent small frame structure which served as a freight depot when the Metropolitan Branch of the B & O Railroad was extended to Gaithersburg in 1873. The picturesque Victorian brick station house, with separate ladies’ and gentlemen’s waiting rooms on either side of the ticket office, was proof of Gaithersburg’s success as a major shipping center and commercial crossroads. . . . — Map (db m1039) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Garrett Park — Garrett Park Waiting Room |
| | In 1989, this passenger waiting room was taken down from its location in Landover, MD., and brought to this site and re-assembled by the Montgomery County Conservation Corps. On behalf of the citizens of Garrett Park, the Mayor and Town Council hereby express the thanks of the people of the town for the excellent services of the Corps in their exemplary completion of this task. — Map (db m219) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Garrett Park — Garrett Park, Md. — Incorporated 1898 |
| | In 1887, the Metropolitan Investment and Building Company laid out the town, named after Robert W. Garrett, President of the B. & O. Railroad. It was to be primarily residential, a short commuter train ride to Washington, D.C. Now, over one hundred years later, it remains residential with several small commercial firms located in the town-owned, Penn Place, a Post Office to which residents still come to pick up their mail, and a Town Hall, built in 1897 as a chapel. In 1975, the town was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. — Map (db m218) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Rockville — Rockville |
| | County seat of Montgomery (formerly part of Frederick) County. Made the county seat in 1776. Created a town by act of assembly 1801. Site of Hungerford Tavern where in 1774 resolution of sympathy for Boston was adopted and severance of trade with Great Britain was recommended. — Map (db m60) |
| Maryland (Prince George's County), Beltsville — The First Telegram “What Hath God Wrought” |
| | The first telegram “What Hath God Wrought” was sent from the Capitol in Washington to Baltimore May 24, 1844 over wires laid along the right of way of the B&O Railroad adjacent to this highway. The telegraph was invented by Samuel F.B. Morse (1791–1872). — Map (db m20368) |
| Maryland (Prince George's County), Laurel — Laurel Railroad Depot |
| | Built by The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1884, this "American Queen Anne" structure continues in daily use. The architect, Francis H. Baldwin, also designed the rear wing of the State House in Annapolis.
The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. — Map (db m99) |
| Maryland (Prince George's County), Riverdale — From Plantation to Suburb; a Community Grows |
| | Town of Riverdale Park. A key factor in the initial development
of Riverdale Park in 1887 was its proximity
to Washington, D.C. By the end of the
19th century, transportation between
Riverdale Park and Washington was
extremely convenient by either the
Baltimore Turnpike, the B & O Railroad,
or the trolley line. The town was one of
Maryland’s first manifestations of that
social phenomenon that in the 20th century
spawned the “suburb.”
It was that same appealing . . . — Map (db m984) |
| Ohio (Belmont County), Barnesville — B&O Railroad Tunnel |
| | You are standing over a 423 foot man-made sandstone tunnel built by the railroad between 1864 and 1870. Located on the Pittsburgh-Columbus main line, up to 37 trains a day passed under East Main Street during the railroad’s heyday.
The station, rail, tunnel, and grounds were purchased by the community in 1991 after the line was abandoned. They are on the National Register of Historic Places. — Map (db m21012) |
| West Virginia (Berkeley County), Martinsburg — Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Shop Complex |
| | The roundhouse is the sole surviving cast-iron framed roundhouse and is an important example of mid-19th century industrial building design. Designed by Albert Fink, in collaboration with Benjamin H. Latrobe, it represents an early use of standardized, prefabricated iron structural elements to create an efficient and fire-resistant building.
Constructed 1866-1867 • National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark — Map (db m1199) |
| West Virginia (Berkeley County), Martinsburg — Baltimore and Ohio Roundhouse and Shop Complex |
| | National Civil Engineering Landmark. The re-construction of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Roundhouse and Shop Complex commenced soon after the end of the American Civil War in 1865. This complex included two roundhouses and two significant shop buildings. The centerpiece of the railroad complex was the West Roundhouse, which can be seen in the immediate foreground. Roundhouse construction started in 1965 and was completed in 1966. The shop buildings, Bridge and Machine Shop and Frog and . . . — Map (db m17373) |
| West Virginia (Berkeley County), Martinsburg — Martinsburg Roundhouse — Jackson and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad — Antietam Campaign |
| | In April 1861, as the Civil War erupted, Confederate forces seized the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad from Harpers Ferry west. On May 24, Gen. Joseph
E. Johnston ordered Col. Thomas J. (later “Stonewall”) Jackson to destroy
the rolling stock here at Martinsburg, a Unionist stronghold. Jackson began
his task on June 13, soon burning 300 cars and destroying 42 locomotives.
“It was sad work,” Jackson wrote his wife Anna, “but I had my orders and
my duty was to . . . — Map (db m1200) |
| West Virginia (Berkeley County), Martinsburg — Roundhouses and Shops / Railroad Strike of 1877 |
| | Roundhouses and Shops. The B&O Railroad reached Martinsburg in 1842,
and by 1849, a roundhouse and shops were
built. These first buildings were burned by
Confederate troops in 1862. The present west
roundhouse and the two shops were built in
1866. The east roundhouse was built in 1872.
These buildings represent one of the last
remaining examples of American industrial
railroad architecture still intact and in
use. These structures serve as important
reminders of the status of the . . . — Map (db m1197) |
| West Virginia (Jefferson County), Harpers Ferry — The Iron Horse Wins |
| | Work on the railroad and canal progressed slowly at first, but by 1834 both companies had completed construction to a point opposite Harpers Ferry. The canal had won the race to this point and it continued up the Maryland side of the Potomac. The B&O Railroad, plagued by land disputes with the canal, crossed the Potomac at Harpers Ferry in 1837 and rapidly pushed on. By 1842 it reached Cumberland, Maryland, and a decade later the railroad was open to Wheeling on the Ohio River. Business boomed . . . — Map (db m12062) |
| West Virginia (Jefferson County), Harpers Ferry — The Race to the Ohio |
| | Rail transportation in the United States began in Baltimore, Maryland on July 4, 1828, when Charles Carroll, the only living signer of the Declaration of Independence, laid the cornerstone of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad On the same day President John Quincy Adams turned the first spade of earth along the Potomac River for the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. The race was underway as the progressive railroad and the traditional canal struggled to become the first to connect the Ohio Valley with . . . — Map (db m12060) |
| West Virginia (Marshall County), Moundsville — Rosby’s Rock |
| | At Rosby’s Rock (5 Mi. E.) Dec. 24, 1852, the B. & O. Railroad joined the Baltimore and Wheeling with the first continuous railroad from the Atlantic to the Ohio, after such engineering feats as building 11 tunnels and 113 bridges. — Map (db m21074) |
| West Virginia (Morgan County), Paw Paw — Paw Paw |
| | Important concentration point of the Union Army from 1861 to 1865. As many as 16,000 Federal troops were encamped here at one time. A blockhouse stood along the tracks of the B&O Railroad at this point. — Map (db m449) |
| West Virginia (Morgan County), Paw Paw — Washington Heritage Trail |
| | The Washington Heritage Trail is a 136-mile national scenic byway inspired by the prominent footsteps of George Washington through the three historic counties of West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle. Compelling history, spectacular scenery, geologic wonders, recreation and year ’round activities and festivals are highlighted by 45 historical sites. The trail meanders across mountains and rivers, through forests, farms and orchards as it connects five
18th century towns that remain the center of . . . — Map (db m450) |
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