Ellicott City Station, Our Nation's Oldest Railroad Depot

When one views the Ellicott City Station today there is nothing particularly striking about it, when compared to other railroad depots like it. However, the station carries a significance far beyond its looks, as the building is our nation’s oldest still-standing railroad depot. What’s more is that the depot’s design would become the template for which most others like it would be constructed over the next century. Today the Ellicott City Station is a museum (part of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum) and owned by the town of Ellicott City, Maryland.

Ellicott City Station has an indelible link to the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, as it was not only the railroad’s first depot but also the first city it reached from Baltimore on its way to the Ohio River, as it was originally chartered to do in 1827 (the B&O is also our nation’s first common-carrier railroad). Three years after its charter the railroad had reached the then small community of Ellicott’s Mills and initially did not even build a passenger station but a freight depot to serve the industrial center located there.

As for Ellicott City Station itself its importance would never really transcend further than its significance as our country’s oldest depot (which was originally built in 1830). Ellicott City’s magnitude for the railroad, at least in terms of a passenger hub, would quickly dwindle following the 20th century and by 1949 trains stopped serving the depot altogether. By the early 1970s the B&O itself, by then part of the Chessie System (the C&O, B&O, and WM united under one flag), would discontinue use at the station. Fortunately, however, the building’s future had already been secured when a few years prior to that in the late 1960s it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

It would take, however, until the mid-1990s before the town would gain ownership of the station when at that time CSX Transportation, the successor to the B&O and Chessie System, deeded the building over to Ellicott City. Today, the Ellicott City Station is part of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum and known as the Ellicott City Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum.

Below are a few of the events on tap through early 2008 (courtesy of the Ellicott City Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum):

* A Journey from Road to Rails

Thursday, May 24 through Sunday, November 4, 2007

Wednesdays through Sundays: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Explore the impact of industrialization and transportation on Ellicott Mills as you learn about two significant avenues of travel: the Baltimore & Frederick Turnpike (Main Street) and the B&O Railroad.

* Fall Blacksmith Day

Saturday, September 30, 2007: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Join the Station for Fall Blacksmith Day 2007 presented by the Blacksmith Guild of Central Maryland. Activities include forging demonstrations and hands on "Clay Forging" for kids. Unique forged iron work will also be available to purchase.

* Celebrate Black History Month at the B&O

February 1 – February 29, 2008

Celebrate the contributions of African Americans to the railroad industry. Learn about these men and women who filled vital jobs all along the B&O Railroad's line and understand how significant social issues, such as segregation, affected railroading.

* Valentine’s Day-Special Discount Offer

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Show your love for trains! Wear red today and receive $1.00 off your admission.

* Celebrate Women’s History Month

March 2008

Learn about the contributions that women made to the railroad industry by filling traditionally male dominated jobs in the B&O's shops and in track gangs along the main line during both World Wars. Learn how necessity and determination helped change how women in the workplace were perceived.

Along with touring the building, learning about its history, and seeing the items on display the museum also houses a large model layout and has a number of events and programs ongoing throughout the year to take advantage of.

For more reading and history about the B&O consider the book below written by Kirk Reynolds and David Oroszi. While there are several more excellent books, with superb illustrations, out there covering different aspects of the B&O in more detail this publication includes a fine general history of the railroad with wonderful historical photos (many in color).