Many people have heard of the Battle of Antietam. Also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg, it was one of the largest battles in the American Civil War. Unlike the other major battles of Manassas and Gettysburg, the Battle of Antietam, named after Antietam Creek, was the largest battle of the American Civil War where the railroad did not play a role in the battle. After the war, family members who came to reclaim the bodies of their loved ones had to either travel to Hagerstown or to Keedysville and then traveled by horse and buggy to Sharpsburg. In 1877, the Shenandoah Valley Railroad came to Sharpsburg bringing railroad service to the town. The town grew around the railroad as people travel by train to visit the battlefield. A small train station was built west of the town along the Shepherdstown Pike (present day Maryland Route 34), but it was destroyed by fire in 1910.
In 1911, Antietam Station was built to accommodate the many visitors to the battlefield as well as accommodate farmers who wanted to ship their produce by the train. When to automobile became a more common way to travel, the station played less of a role to the town. The station was sold to a private person. It was going to be demolished, but it was saved by local foundations. In 1997, it became to home of the Hagerstown Model Railroad Museum.
Some of you are saying, “Wait a minute. This is Sharpsburg. How can it be the home of a model railroad from Hagerstown?”
That is a very good question.
It is called the Hagerstown Model Railroad Museum because it was originally in Hagerstown, Maryland and was originally called the Hagerstown Model Engineering Society in 1937. Oh, it is the fourth oldest model railroad club in the United States of America. They first met in a local hobby shop. They met in other locations before they accepted an offer to be housed in the old Antietam Station.
Today, as you drive along Maryland Route 34 between Sharpsburg towards Shepherdstown, West Virginia, you can see the old Antietam Station with the old railroad line with Norfolk Southern Railway trains passing by… but not stopping. What looks like a lonely train holds model train displays and lots of history. It is located at 17230 Shepherdstown Pike (Maryland Route 34) west of the town. You can go to https://antietamstation.com/ to get information about their open houses and to read more about the history of the station and about the Hagerstown Model Railroad Club.
John Cowgill: Stories of the Railroad 