1890-1910

1890-1910. The Progressive Era. , 1896 , The Hagerstown Railway trolley system begins operation. Service is expanded in 1904 to Frederick and into Pennsylvania, becoming the first inter-urban rural rail system in the country. The last car runs in 1947., 1898 , America goes to war with Spain. On February 15, Hagerstown native Private Edward Suman, USMC is among the crew lost in the explosion of the USS Maine. Hagerstown's National Guard Company, commanded by Captain George L. Fisher, is federalized and called to active duty. City native Lieutenant Samuel Strite, USN serves aboard Admiral Dewey's flagship, USS Olympia, at the Battle of Manila Bay., 1904 , The Pope Tribune Company begins three years of automobile production in Hagerstown. Crawford automobiles and trucks are manufactured here from 1905 to 1923. Dagmar luxury automobiles are later manufactured in Hagerstown from 1922 to 1927., 1905 , In April, the Washington County Free Library places the first bookmobile in the United States into operation., 1905 , On October 26, the Washington County Hospital opens in former Moller residence at Potomac and Fairgrounds Avenues. In 1911, it moves to the former Kee Mar College site on King Street. The hospital relocates from there to the Robinwood Drive area in 2010., 1906 , The Western Maryland Railway moves its primary shops and facilities to Hagerstown, spurring a period of significant growth in the City.