Information Panel: Railroads

The W&P Line connected Baltimore to raw resources. Both sides damaged the line in the Civil War.

NPS / Claire Hassler

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Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits

Trains clanking along iron rails have echoed through Virginius Island since the Winchester & Potomac Railroad arrived here in 1836. It extended from the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad junction at Harpers Ferry 32 miles southward to Winchester. The W&P line enabled local industrialists to import raw materials and export finished products to the port of Baltimore and into the heart of the Shenandoah Valley.
During the Civil War, both Union and Confederate forces damaged the railroad. By late fall, 1864, however, Union General Sheridan had rebuilt the W&P to supply over 30,000 U.S. troops in the valley.
This railroad still operates today. It stands as the only "living" remnant of the island's industrial past.
Caution Label: Just ahead is the railroad. Please use caution as you cross the tracks.
Photo Caption: A freight train traveling through Virginius Island, circa 1869.