The B&O Railroad Museum

The B&O Railroad Museum is situated on a forty acre tract in Southwest Baltimore, the birthplace of American railroading. The B&O Railroad, chartered in 1827, was America's first commercial, long distance railroad. The initial parcel of land was donated by James Carroll from his Mount Clare estate. In 1828, the B&O established its headquarters and railroad shops at the corner of Pratt and Parkin Streets on a site known as the Mt. Clare Shops.

At a time when Baltimore's economic future appeared grim, the B&O Railroad planned a long distance commercial and passenger railway from BaltimoreÕs port to the Ohio River. Most of the labor which built America's first railroad was supplied by Irish immigrants who established residences in neighborhoods adjacent to the Mt. Clare Shops. These railroad craft shops grew from a small car-building facility to a huge complex of structures encompassing land from Parkin Street west to the Gwynns Falls and the Carrollton viaduct. During the early part of the 20th century, the B&O Railroad shops at Mt. Clare employed over 3,000 skilled workers and laborers most of whom resided in the rowhouse neighborhoods surrounding the shop complex. These neighborhoods had predominantly Irish residents.

Today the B&O Railroad Museum, a non-profit educational institution in association with the Smithsonian Institution, holds the most important collection of railroad artifacts in America. Over 250 locomotives and rolling stock make up a world class collection along with the national landmark 1884 passenger car roundhouse and other historic structures. More than 160,000 visitors come each year to learn the story of American rail transportation at the birthplace of American railroading. The MuseumÕs website is www.borail.org.