Information Panel: Racing West

Quick Facts

Amenities

1 listed

Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits

On this spot in 1838 the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) pulled into the lead in a race for transportation industry dominance with the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal (C&O). Denied access to the Maryland side of the river, the B&O struck a deal with the armory to build an elevated train trestle on the river wall beneath your feet. Continuing west along what was then the Virginia side of the river, the B&O Railroad quickly passed the C&O Canal and won the race west, becoming the first successful railroad in the United States.