This is a text widget, which allows you to add text or HTML to your sidebar. You can use them to display text, links, images, HTML, or a combination of these. Edit them in the Widget section of the Customizer.
How many of you have ever heard of the small town of Grafton in the U.S. state of West Virginia? Most of you probably have never heard of this town. As you drive through the town, you see old buildings. It appears to be a small town with little significance. Then you see what looks like an old train station, but it is not your average small town train station. It looks like something that you would see in a major city.
Why is it here?
The old train station in Grafton, West Virginia was a train station and a hotel. Why would somebody build a train station and hotel in this small town? Ladies and gentlemen, this town was not your average small town.
The town of Grafton, West Virginia, originally established at the town of Grafton, Virginia in 1852 as the land was original park of the U.S. state of Virginia before West Virginia was a state, is said to be named after John Grafton. Who is John Grafton? He was a civil engineer for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. It was the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad that established the town of Grafton. The train station and upscale hotel was built in the 1850’s by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in honor of Daniel Williard, the president of the railroad, and the hotel was called the Williard Hotel in his honor. The hotel closed in the 1960’s with the decline of passenger railroad service and was a hotel for train crews. Passenger service ceased in 1971.
Today, the railroad tracks are owned by CSX Transportation who still has a railroad yard in the town. The old train station and hotel and the Grafton Downtown Historic District are on the National Register of Historic Places, but the old train station is not open to the public. The only view of the interior is through the windows. It is located on U.S. Route 119 south of U.S. Route 50. Along with the railroad building the town, the railroad was a great contributor to the town’s history particularly during the American Civil War. The town is also the home of the Mother’s Day Shrine and is said to be the birthplace of Mother’s Day. As you drive around, you will see that this town that looks like it has little history has some much history to see… brought to you by the railroad and an old train station.
The small town of Batesville in the southeast region of the U.S. state of Indiana. It is not a famous town as it is centrally located between the major cities of Indianapolis, Indiana, Cincinnati in the U.S. state of Ohio, and Louisville in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Its historic district is on the National Register of Historic Places. As you drive through the town, it looks like any other small town. It has its town hall town parks. It is truly what small town America is about.
Some of you are saying, “It is nice to visit a small town. I enjoy small town America. However, there is a problem with this town. What is the problem? This is not a railroad town. Therefore, I will not be stopping by to visit.”
So, the reason that you will not visit the town of Batesville, Indiana is because it is not a railroad town. As you drive through the town and historic district, you do not see any railroad tracks or old train station of rail trails. The only railroad line in the town runs through the south side, but there is no railroad yard or train station here. Trains mainly just pass through. Why visit this town?
You enter into the historic district of the town. You see the old buildings. You see the town hall. You see the Sherman Inn, and German style hotel and restaurant. What you do not see is railroad tracks nor do you see any sign of the railroad ever being here. Then you come upon Depot Square. Wait a minute. Where are the railroad tracks? You see an old railroad crossing sign. Where are the railroad tracks? You see no signs of railroad tracks.
You walk towards the town center, and you see doors. Doors? They are just doors that are just there, but they have pictures on them. What are they pictures of? They are pictures of the old town. Then you see pictures of the railroad. You look behind the door, but you just see a street or a lot.
In the early years, a railroad line ran along what is now E. Pearl Street. There was also a freight depot and a passenger depot. Along these tracks was once a Buick car dealership where, in 1910, Buicks were brought to the dealership by train.
Some of you are saying, “Alright! Batesville was a railroad town, but it is no longer a railroad town.”
True, but there is more to the story. How much more? Let us start at the beginning.
Before there was the town of Batesville, Indiana, it was just empty land. The early settlers came and settled the land. A man named Teunis Amack brought land from the government hoping to make it into a farm, but he later sold it to a man named George H. Dunn. Who is George H. Dunn? He was the owner of the John Callahan Trust Company. Why did Teunis Amack sell the land? George H. Dunn was also the president of the Cincinnati and Indianapolis Railroad. The land was bought to be used for a railroad line. The railroad line was built, and the town of Batesville, Indiana was built around the railroad. The first train arrived on November 1, 1853, and passed through the center of the town. The last passenger train served the town in 1906. Through the years, the tracks were removed, and the train depot was demolished.
Now you have a reason to visit the town of Batesville, Indiana. The trains may be gone, but the ghosts of the trains remain.
The U.S. state of Kentucky is a state known as the Bluegrass State. Many people know about Kentucky Fried Chicken which was started by a man named Harland Sanders, commonly known as Colonel Sanders, even though he started in a restaurant in the state, the first Kentucky Fried Chicken was opened in Salt Lake City, Utah. The state is known for its horses, and it has the continuously running sporting event in the world, the Kentucky Derby in Louisville, which is a horse race that is the first race of the Triple Crown. The state is known for its bourbon, of which there are plenty of bourbon distilleries in the state mainly around the Frankfort and Lexington areas. You may have heard of My Old Kentucky Home. It is a real house in Bardstown. In the city of Bowling Green, you will find the National Corvette Hall of Fame. Along with Churchill Downs where the Kentucky Derby is run, the city of Louisville is known for the Louisville Slugger bat factory where many baseball bats are made and sold, and you can tour the factory and buy a bat of your own. You have Mammoth Cave, the largest known cave system in the world.
Then you have the small town of Mount Sterling. How many of you have ever heard of Mount Sterling, Kentucky? A small town that is located 34 miles (55 kilometers) east of the city of Lexington, it is named after a small burial mound. The town itself is small, but it does have the Adena Trail, a short, paved mile long trail that runs through the town south of the main historic district. The town is small, but it is a special town to visit.
Some of you are saying, “This is nice. Small towns are really special. I am sure that the town of Mount Sterling is a special town. There is a very big problem. Mount Sterling is not a railroad town. Therefore, I find no special reason to visit this town.”
You are right. Mount Sterling, Kentucky is not a railroad town, and the town has no history with the railroad. Why visit Mount Sterling, Kentucky?
Like many small towns in the United States of America, Mount Sterling, Kentucky has something special. It has the downtown historic district where you have shops, cafes, historic architecture, and art. Just south of the historic district, as mentioned, is a paved trail known as the Adena Trail. It looks like a nice trail. You decide to take a walk around. The trail follows a small creek. You then notice a structure next to the trail. As you walk closer, you see that it looks like a train station. Wait a minute. This town has never been a railroad town. Why is this train station here?
The town of Mount Sterling, Kentucky has never been a railroad town, but that did not keep the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway from passing through here. The Adena trail was built on the old railroad bed. It is about a mile long so walking the entire trail is easy. As for the old train station, it was built in 1910 by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway as a passenger and freight depot.
As the railroad decline, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was forced to abandon lesser used railroad lines. Mount Sterling, Kentucky was a victim of the decline. Railroad service ceased to the town, and the railroad tracks were eventually removed.
Today, the old train station remains, and it is on the National Register of Historical Places. As for the Adena Trail, it is a paved trail that it easily accessible for wheelchairs. The train station and Adena Trail is located at the intersection of S. Maysville Street and Railroad Street about a few blocks from U.S. Routes 60 and 460 and Kentucky Route 11.
The next time you here about the town of Mount Sterling, Kentucky, think about a special town where the railroad once served.
The U.S. state of West Virginia is a state that has so much natural beauty. It has famous sites like the New River Gorge and the New River Gorge Bridge, the Glade Creek Grist Mill at Babcock State Park, one of the most photographed mills in the United States of America, the natural spas in Berkeley Springs to include George Washington’s Bathtub where George Washington, well… you probably figured it out what he did here, plus the town of Harpers Ferry, and so much more. It has its cities like the capital city of Charleston, Beckley, and Morgantown, and its many small towns. One of these small towns located northeast of Charleston is the town of Gassaway.
Some of you are saying, “Interesting. I bet the town got its name from the fact that somebody was getting gasoline, but the gasoline got away.”
You are very wrong. The small town, established in 1905, is named after Henry Gassaway Davis, a West Virginia politician who was nominated for the Vice President of the United States of America in 1904.
Some of you are saying, “It is nice that they named a town after a politician. There is a very big problem. This is just a small town that has no railroad. Therefore, I will not be taking these country roads to this town.”
If you were to ask people if they had ever heard of the town of Gassaway, West Virginia, you would get many strange looks. The town is often overshadowed by the town of Sutton which is east of Gassaway and is famous for it Bigfoot Festival and museum.
As you approach the town of Gassaway, the very first thing you see it the ‘Welcome to Gassaway’ sign. Many towns have a welcome sign to greet you as you enter, but you see something interesting. What do you see? You see a steam locomotive on the sign. You continue to drive into the town, and you see an old railroad bridge. You drive further into the town, and you see an old train station. You drive to the old train station, and you see a mural with a steam train. What you do not see is a railroad line. Well, the railroad line is now a railroad trail. How did the train station get here? Today, the town of Gassaway, West Virginia does not look like much, but that was not always the case.
The town of Gassaway, West Virginia was a town built by the railroad. The Coal and Coke Railway, which ran between Charleston and Elkins, ran through the town of Gassaway, and, in 1914, they built the train station giving passenger train service to the town. There was also a railroad yard in the town as they changed locomotives in the town as more powerful locomotives were needed to pull the trains to Elkins while locomotives with less power could be used for trains to Charleston. During its heyday, the town had two hotels, a bank, retail stores, office buildings, and, schools, and churches. When the railroad went into decline, so did the town. Railroad service ended and was eventually converted into a rail trail.
As for the train station, it was abandoned for many years, but it was then restored and was put on National Register of Historic Places, and it now serves as an event and meeting space for the town.
The town of Gassaway, West Virginia is four miles west of Interstate 79 on West Virginia Route 4. The old train station is located on 4th Street one block west of West Virginia Route 4. It is open available for events like weddings and parties.
The small town of Gassaway may no longer be a railroad town, but the ghosts and the legacy of the railroad remain.
The U.S. state of Missouri is located in the heartland of the United States of America. It is a state that has so much to offer. You have the city of Saint Louis, nicknamed the ‘Gateway of the West’. It is famous for the Gateway Arch, a huge arch that rises over the city that is located on the Mississippi River just south of where the Missouri River flows into it. The Saint Louis Cardinals, the city’s professional baseball team, is the second most championed team in Major League Baseball. (The New York Yankees are number one.) On the opposite side of the state is Kansas City that is mostly in Missouri with sections in the U.S. state of Kansas. The city is known for being a city of fountains having more fountains that any other city in the nation, and it has been known for its barbeque, but it has been most famous for the Kansas City Chiefs, an American football team that is part of the National Football League. The state has its small towns. The most famous small town in the state is Hannibal. What is famous about Hannibal? No, it is not named after the famous criminal Hannibal Lector. It is where the famous author Samuel Clemens, famously known as Mark Twain, grew up, and his famous stories, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was based. You have Branson, a city kind of known as the Las Vegas of theme parks. (In case you are wondering, Las Vegas, Nevada is famous for its numerous casinos.) Then you have the town of Mansfield.
What is special about the small town of Mansfield, Missouri? As you visit the town of Mansfield, Missouri, it may appear to be an average American town. It was the home of baseball pitcher Carl Mays, and it was also the home of Laura Ingalls Wilder, the author who gave us Little House on the Prairie which was made into a television series, and her home is open for tours and she is also buried in a cemetery in town. As you go to the center of the town, it may not appear to be much, but the town was much different in its heyday.
Welcome to the Mansfield Historical Society and Museum. As you approach the museum, which is also the tourist information center, you will see that it looks like a train station. Well, it is a replica train station built on the site of the original train station which was demolished. There is also an old passenger car on the site.
Today, only the main railroad line passes through the town, but the town was once the site of a railroad yard. The Ava Southern Railroad, a short line railroad, went south to the town of Ava.
You go inside the museum. Of course, the museum is about the history of Mansfield Missouri, and the different displays are about the life in the town to include the lives of Carl Mays and Laura Ingalls Wilder. During here time in Mansfield, Laura Ingalls Wilder made much use of the railroad and the train station as she use the railroad to brings many of her goods to the town. As you look through the exhibits, you will see a photo of Laura Ingalls Wilder attending an event with the driving of the last spike of the Kansas City Ozark and Southern Railroad which later was known as the Ava Southern Railroad.
Mansfield Historical Society and Museum is located at 101 W. North Street in Mansfield, Missouri, one block south of U.S. Business Route 60. It is open from 10:00am to 3:00pm Monday through Saturday. (It is closed on Sunday and from 12:00pm to 1:00pm.) Parking is on site. Admission is free, but they do take donations. The museum is on one floor in two different rooms that are wheelchair accessible. You can get more information about the museum and read more into the historical society at https://mansfieldhistoricalmuseum.com/.
The state of Missouri is nicknamed the ‘Show Me State’. Allow them to show you the small town of Mansfield.
Many states in the United States of America has a town called Arlington. You have most famous Arlington in the U.S. state of Virginia which is a suburb of Washington D.C. and it home to Arlington National Cemetery, one of the most famous cemeteries in the world as it is the burial ground of many men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It is also where former United States President Howard Taft is buried, and it is also where former United States President John Ferdinand Kennedy and his family is buried. His gravesite overlooks the National Mall with a view of the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, and the United States Capitol. The most moving part of Arlington National Cemetery is the Tomb of the Unknowns. The tomb is guarded by soldiers day and night in all types of weather. Then you have Arlington in the U.S. state of Texas, a suburb of the city of Dallas. It is here where the Dallas Cowboys, an American football team that plays in the National Football League.
Then you have the town of Arlington in the U.S. state of Tennessee.
Some of you are saying, “Wow. You are Arlington, Virginia, and you have Arlington, Texas, but I have never heard of Arlington, Tennessee.”
Well, most people, including those who live in Tennessee, have never heard of the town. It is about thirty miles (fifty kilometers) east of Memphis, the city famous for the king of rock-n-roll, Elvis Presley, and, sadly, the city where Martin Luther King Junior was assassinated.
What is special about Arlington, Tennessee?
Some of you are saying, “I bet it is a famous railroad town.”
Well, it is not a famous railroad town. The town was established before the railroad arrived, and it was originally called Haysville.
Some of you are saying, “Oh, the town got its name from being a place where you can get hay.”
Well, that is not true. It is named after Samuel Jackson Hays. He was the original landowner of the region, but he also has another claim. What is that claim? He was a descendant of United States President Andrew Jackson. In the town’s beginning, it was not very prosperous. It was not until the Memphis and Ohio Railroad came to town and a train depot was built that the town began to grow. The town was renamed Arlington in 1883 naming it after Arlington, Virginia. The suggestion was made by Captain Henry Pitman who visited Arlington National Cemetery and thought that the cemetery was the most beautiful place on planet earth. The townspeople boarded the train at the station to visit Memphis and enjoy life in the big city. Sadly, the original train depot, which became the centerpiece of the town, was demolished in 1971, but many of the original structures of the town remain.
Today, when you visit the town of Arlington, Tennessee, you can visit Arlington Depot Square. A replica depot has been built on the site of the original depot and is now a senior center. You can visit some of the original structures to include the post office, a general store, a blacksmith shop, and a small cabin. Depot Square is also used for concerts in the warm months. Most important of all, you can see a passing train as the railroad line is still active.
Arlington Depot Square is located on Chester Street. It is just off of U.S. Route 79 and a short drive from Interstate 40. Parking is on site. You can get more information about Arlington Depot Square and read more into the history of the town at https://www.townofarlington.org/.
What does Arlington, Tennessee have that Arlington, Virginia and Arlington, Texas does not have? Arlington, Virginia has Arlington National Cemetery. Arlington, Texas has AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys. As for Arlington, Tennessee, they have Arlington Depot Square, a place where you can see a replica train depot, watch a concert, and, most important, watch the trains go by.
Some of you are saying, “You got it wrong. You meant to say, ‘Welcome to Williamsburg, Virginia’.”
No. This is the small town of Williamsburg in the U.S. state of Indiana. It is not like its Virginia counterpart of Colonial Williamsburg but a small town in the eastern part of the state just west of the U.S. state of Ohio. When you visit the town, you will pretty much see a ghost town… but it was not always that way.
The town was named after William Johnson, the man who settled the town in 1830. Like many small towns, it flourished, but something happened in 1901. What happened? The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway came to town. Connecting the Indiana cities of Richmond to the south with Muncie, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway brought massive growth of business and population to the town. The town had its own train station. Like many small towns in the United States of America, Williamsburg went into a decline and began beginning to be the ghost town it is today.
Today, the railroad line that passed through the town of Williamsburg, Indiana became a rail trail known as the Cardinal Greenway, the longest rail trail in the U.S. state of Indiana running to Richmond to the south and Marion to the north. As you visit the rail trail, you will not notice that this was once a busy place. Located north of the town center just a short drive of U.S. Route 35, you will experience a quiet place at a place that was once the centerpiece of the town.
Welcome to Williamsburg, Indiana. You will not see people dress in colonial attire, but you will be in a small town where a railroad made history.
In the heyday of America railroading, the railroad connected the small towns with the major cities. As many railroad lines were no longer used, many of the railroad tracks and the railroad ties were taken up while some rails and ties were left to decay. Some of the railroad beds were left to erode over time while some were covered into rail trails. (A rail trail is a trail designed on an old railroad bed to be used for hiking, biking, horseback riding, or just plain walking.) Many of the trails are paved while some remain dirt or have gravel.
In the U.S. state of West Virginia in the metropolitan region of Beckley, you will find the town of Oak Hill. The town is not very famous although it is said the country music singer Hank Williams may have died at a gas station in this town while on route from Bristol, Virginia to Canton, Ohio. (The story has not been confirmed.) The only thing most people know about Oak Hill is that most people drive by the town on U.S. Route 19 while traveling from Beckley to the World Famous New River Gorge Bridge which is just north of the town. One thing that is confirmed is that the town of Oak Hill was served by the railroad.
The White Oak Rail Trail is a rail trail that is slightly under eight miles that passes through the town. Much of it is paved, but there are portions of the trail that are not paved. The railroad line was owned by the White Oak Railway, and the rail line was later taken over by the Virginian Railway. The main center point of the trail is the old train station.
What is special about the old train station? It is one of the oldest structures in Oak Hill. It is a passenger and a freight depot. It was built by the White Oak Railway in 1903, and it was later taken over by the Virginian Railway. Like many small towns, the railroad was a major contributor to the town’s economy. The depot was also used by the Norfolk and Western Railway and the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. The train depot remained in service until 1983. The rail line later became the rail trail it is today.
The train depot is now an art store selling locally made at. An old railroad line that passes by the old train station is the only reminder of Oak Hill being a railroad town today.
The Oak Hill Train Depot is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located at the intersection of Virginia Street and Central Avenue. The trail goes north from the depot to the community of Summerlee and south to the community of Carlisle. Much of the trail is wheelchair accessible.
When you think of the New River Gorge region of West Virginia, think of the small town of Oak Hill. It was once a railroad town, and an old train depot remains.
The U.S. state of New Hampshire is one of the six states that make up the region known as New England. It is a state that has much natural beauty. Its most famous site was a rock formation that, when seen from a particular direction, had the shape of an old man. Sadly, the rock face eroded years ago, but you can still visit the site where the rock face once was. Then you have the world famous Mount Washington, the highest point in the state and it known to have the world’s worst weather. Another popular thing in the state happens to be… a train ride.
Welcome to the Conway Scenic Railroad, one of the most popular train rides in the United States of America. Why is it called the Conway Scenic Railroad? As you drive to the town of North Conway, you will begin to see the answer to the question. The scenery will amaze you, and you will be amazed as you see it from the seat of a train.
You arrive in the town of North Conway, and it is an impressive small town. Then you arrive at the Conway Scenic Railroad, and you are totally amazed. What is amazing you? The first thing you see when you arrive at the Conway Scenic Railroad is the train station. Yes. Most train excursions leave from train stations, but the North Conway Train Station was built in 1874. As you look at the old train station, you may find yourself in a different time. You enter the ticket office to buy your tickets, and you walk through the small museum that tells the history of the railroad in the region and the gift shop.
The train station is amazing, but you did not come to the town of North Conway, New Hampshire to just see the old train station. You came here to ride the train. This is not just any train. This is the Conway Scenic Railroad, one of the most popular train rides in the nation.
The time has come. The vintage train pulls into the station, and you board one of the vintage train cars. From your seat, you are already seeing the beauty of New Hampshire. The train begins to pull out of the station, and you are shortly out of the town. You cross over rivers and streams and see fields and mountains to include the world famous Mount Washington. You ride to the end, and you return to the station.
The Conway Scenic Railroad has numerous excursion routes. This means that you will need to return again. After your first train ride, you will want to come back to ride the other excursion trains.
The Conway Scenic Railroad is located in North Conway, New Hampshire at 30 Norcross Circle which is just off of U.S. Route 302 and New Hampshire Route 16. Parking is on site. Please note that due to the age of the facility and the trains, they are not wheelchair accessible, but they are happy to assist those with mobility issue in any way they can so that they can enjoy the ride. Learn more about the excursions, the train schedules, buy tickets, and read more into the railroad at https://www.conwayscenic.com/.
Why is the Conway Scenic Railroad one of the most popular train rides in the United States of America? The best way to answer this question is to make your way to the small New Hampshire town of North Conway and to ride the train. Once you ride the train, your question will be answered.
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 