Chesapeake Beach in Calvert County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Chesapeake Beach Railway

1897-1935

Photographed By Roger Dean Meyer, June 18, 2006

1. Chesapeake Beach Railway (1897-1935) Marker

Inscription. Built by Otto Mears of Colorado in 1897. The train track linking Washington, D.C. to Chesapeake Beach crossed here. The original depot to the east is now the Railway Museum. Excursion steamboats also brought passengers to Chesapeake Beach from Baltimore. The popular seaside resort and the railroad each depended on the other until the railroad failed in the depression of the 1930’s.

Erected by Board of County Commissioners, Calvert County Historical Society and Maryland Historical Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1897.

Location. 38° 41.388′ N, 76° 32.145′ W. Marker is in Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, in Calvert County. Marker is at the intersection of Mears Avenue and Bayside Road (Maryland Route 261), in the median on Mears Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Chesapeake Beach MD 20732, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 5 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Railroad Bed (within shouting distance of this marker); Bald Eagle (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); a different marker also named The Chesapeake Beach Railway (about 400 feet away); a different marker also named Chesapeake Beach Railway (about 600 feet away);

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Railroad Artifacts At The Museum (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chesapeake Beach.

Also see . . . The Chesapeake Beach Railway: Otto Mears goes East. Book by Ames W. Williams on Amazon.com. (Submitted on December 7, 2006.) This website may earn income if you use this link to make a purchase on Amazon.com.

Railway Museum image. Click for full size.

Photographed By F. Robby, November 6, 2007

2. Railway Museum

The former Chesapeake Beach Railway depot, about 500 feet east of the marker.

Photographed By F. Robby, November 6, 2007

3. The Delores

Former parlor car of the Chesapeake Beach Railway, the only piece of rolling stock known to be in existence today.

Otto Mears<br>(May 3rd, 1840 - June 25th, 1931) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Allen C. Browne, November 4, 2017

4. Otto Mears
(May 3rd, 1840 - June 25th, 1931)

This 1980 painting of Otto Mears by Tom Wisner based on a c. 1890 photo is on display in the Chesapeake Beach Railway Museum.

“A Russian immigrant and pioneer Colorado railroad builder who was determined to build a railroad and beach resort near the nations Capital. While never abandoning his interests in the mining railroads of the Rocky Mountains, Mears reorganized and refinanced the Chesapeake Railway and saw its completion into a viable transportation system.” — The Chesapeake Beach Railway Museum

Credits. This page was last revised on August 6, 2021. It was originally submitted on December 3, 2006, by Roger Dean Meyer of Yankton, South Dakota. This page has been viewed 2,381 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on December 3, 2006, by Roger Dean Meyer of Yankton, South Dakota. 2, 3. submitted on November 8, 2007, by F. Robby of Baltimore, Maryland. 4. submitted on November 5, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • J. J. Prats was the editor who published this page.