The U.S. state of Maryland is a state that is famous for many things. It has the Chesapeake Bay which splits the state in two parts. Baltimore, the state’s largest city, is famous for the National Anthem of the United States of America, known as the ‘Star Spangled Banner’, which was written by Francis Scott Key as he was a prisoner of war as he watched the British Navy bombard Fort McHenry during the War of 1812 only to see the flag still waving. Baltimore is where the oldest Catholic Church in the nation, and it was here where the first railroad began operation in the Western Hemisphere. In College Park, the home of the University of Maryland, is also the home of College Park Airport, the oldest continuous operating airport in the world. You have Annapolis, the state capital, the home of the Naval Academy and the only capitol dome made with wood and has no marble or stone like most capitols. The state of Maryland is loaded with historic sites, and it has small towns. One of these small towns is the town of Berlin. Located on the Delmarva Peninsula near the coastline, the town is considered as one of the best small towns in the nation. The movie ‘Runaway Bride’ starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts was filmed here, and Seabiscuit, a famous racehorse who won the Triple Crown (meaning that he won the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes in the same year), was raised in a barn in the area. (The barn is now on a golf course and houses a restaurant.) One thing you will not see in this town is the Berlin Wall, but you will find the Calvin B. Taylor House. What is the Calvin B. Taylor House? Yes, it was the home of Calvin B. Taylor who was the second owner of the home. After Calvin B. Taylor’s ownership, the house was divided into apartments. It was saved from demolition, restored, and made into a museum which is seasonally open for tours.
Who is Calvin B. Taylor? That is a good question. Calvin B. Taylor made a big influence on the town of Berlin. He was an educator and a lawyer, and he was the founder of the Calvin B. Taylor Banking Company in the town of Berlin. Today, his home is a museum that tells the story of the town of Berlin. If you want to learn more about an amazing small town, you must visit the Calvin B. Taylor Museum.
Some of you are saying, “This is nice. Every time I think about Berlin, I think about Germany and the Berlin Wall. I would not think about a small town in Maryland. As for the Calvin B. Taylor House, well, it is nice to see that he was a great man who did great things for the town. There is a very big problem. Calvin B. Taylor is not a railroad man and has nothing to do with the railroad, and the Calvin B. Taylor House is not a railroad museum. Therefore, I will not be running away to the town of Berlin, Maryland to visit this house.”
Calvin B. Taylor was not a railroad man, and the Calvin B. Taylor House is not a railroad museum. Why visit the Calvin B. Taylor House in Berlin, Maryland?
What is now the Calvin B. Taylor House was built in 1832. Before it was called the Calvin B. Taylor House, the home had former owners. One of the former owners is a man named Robert J. Henry. Who is Robert J. Henry?
When you visit the town of Berlin, Maryland, you see a charming small town with historic buildings. Although a railroad line passes through the town, the town has never been a big railroad town nor does the town have a big history of the railroad.
So what is the big deal?
In the early days of railroading, the railroad served many cities and towns. Robert J. Henry was the man who was instrumental in bringing the railroad to the town of Berlin. Being on a large peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay, you wonder if anybody rode the train here.
Well, they did. Where did they come from, and where did they go?
The town had a train station that was called Berlin Union Station. Why the name Union Station? It was located at a junction of another railroad line. People came from Baltimore by way of a ferry that went across the Chesapeake Bay between Baltimore Harbor and Love Point, a point on the east side of the bay near where the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Others came from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and rode a train down the peninsula. The Baltimore, Chesapeake, and Atlantic Coast Railroad and the Baltimore and Eastern Railroad had passenger service to the town. Today, the train station is long gone, and there is no passenger railroad service on the Delmarva Peninsula. Only freight service by Norfolk Southern and smaller railroads today. Today, you can ride a rail bike along the tracks through the town.
Some of you are saying, “It is nice that the man who brought the railroad to the town once owned the house, but that is not a reason to visit.”
Why visit the Calvin B. Taylor House? The home is left in the way it is as the second owner, Calvin B. Tayler, left it as he added additions to the home. With a tour of the house, there is an exhibit gallery that displays artifacts and items from the town of Berlin. There is a small exhibit on the old train station to include a sign from the station, the only surviving part of the station, and pictures of the train station. There are also old train schedules on display.
You see. You do have a reason to visit the Calvin B. Taylor House. While you are here, you will find other reasons to walk around the town and maybe visit the Mermaid Museum and the Old Atlantic Hotel where many of the railroad passengers spent the night.
The Calvin B. Taylor House is located in the town of Berlin, Maryland at 208 N. Main Street (Maryland Route 818) just north of the town center and one mile south of U.S. Route 50. It is open seasonally from April to October on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 11:00am to 3:00pm. Only street parking is available. Due to the age of the home, it is not wheelchair accessible. You can read more into the history of the house and checkout the events at https://www.taylorhousemuseum.org/.
Now you have a reason to visit the Calvin B. Taylor House in Berlin, Maryland. It is a great place to runaway to.
John Cowgill: Stories of the Railroad 