1858
This is an image of Wheeling, Ohio, the original terminus of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, in The Book of the Great Railway Celebrations of 1857.
1858
This is an image of the great iron bridge by which the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad crossed the Monongahela River near Fairmont, West Virginia in The Book of the Great Railway Celebrations of 1857.
1858
This is an image of the Great Indian Mound at Moundsville, Ohio in The Book of the Great Railway Celebrations of 1857.
December 24, 1864 | Annual report
In this December 24, 1864 report, Samuel B. Reed describes his surveys and explorations of the land from Green River, Utah to Salt Lake City. He gives his recommendations for the route of the Union Pacific Railroad line, including the availability of timber for railroad ties and coal to power the locomotives.
1858 | Book
Works like The Book of The Great Railway Celebrations were published with multiple purposes - they served great publicity for railroad companies and town boosters, as well as celebrations of technological advancements and ingenuity. The detailed illustrations and descriptions of the celebrations also made them prized souvenirs for event attendees.
October 29, 1850 | Illustration
Note the delicate illustration of the passenger car in this advertisement.
October 8, 1862 | Illustration
This image from the October 8, 1862 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts the railroad station in Hancock, Maryland.
October 8, 1862 | Illustration
This image from the October 8, 1862 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts three men at Fair View, Maryland observing Confederate forces in the distance working to destroy the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.
April 28, 1870 | Legal decision
Catharine Brown's case--Case No. 4582--was scheduled to go to trial in October 1868 in the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia, but was delayed because of various procedural motions by the railroad's attorneys. When these motions were denied, the case was tried over three days in March 1870. The all white jury rendered a verdict of guilty against the railroad company and awarded Brown $1,500 in damages. Then, the defendant railroad attorney's sought an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Here is their statement of argument, denying that the railroad used violence or made derogatory remarks. Furthermore, in denying Brown's claims, the railroad argued that there were distinctions between through and local passenger types of service, even on the Baltimore and Ohio, and that separate colored cars on local lines were run at the request of black passengers.
1873 | Legal decision
In 1868, Catherine Brown, an African American woman, was ejected from the "ladies car" on the Washington, Alexandria, and Georgetown Railroad Company when traveling from Alexandria, Virginia, to the District of Columbia. Brown sued the rail company and the case was appealed to the United States Supreme Court - the first case addressing race and public transportation to appear before the Court. Although the legal status of the railroad under Congressional rulings that had applied to earlier iterations of the company became a basis for appeal, the rights of African Americans became the most notable outcome of the Supreme Court's decision for Brown in 1873.
January 15, 1851 | Letter
In one of the first reports to the Board, Claudius Crozet explains the dangerous conditions in the construction and advises against using sink shafts on the project. Crozet refers to Col. Randolph, probably Thomas Jefferson Randolph, grandson of Thomas Jefferson and contractor of slaves to the project.
August 8, 1862 | Letter
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's Master of Transportation, W. P. Smith, writes to the firm's president of the "rough" removal of a nurse from a B and O train.
August 8, 1862 | Letter
The President of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad writes to General Meigs about the treatment of nurses on his rail line following an incident reported by Dorothea Dix.
January 1, 1872 | Letter
In this January 1, 1872 letter, Henry Wilson states that on the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad Company's lands in Iowa and Nebraska, "the class we most want is Farmers or Land buyers." In his estimation, the climate and environment are best suited for agriculture and the prospects for "persons dependent on their labor are not so good as in older States," which would make it difficult for them to succeed in America.
1859 | Newspaper
Comments on the prospects for the Blue Ridge Railroad, with comparisions to Virginia and New York systems.
July 11, 1877 | Newspaper
This July 11, 1877 circular announces a wage reduction for workers on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.
July 17, 1877 | Newspaper
This excerpt from the July 18, 1877 edition of the London Times offers a glimpse into the British view of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Strike.
July 17, 1877 | Newspaper
This article from the July 17, 1877 edition of the Baltimore American gives an account of the strike's origins in Baltimore, its spread to Martinsburg, West Virginia, the arrival of the miltary, and a description of the demonstrations that took place.
July 18, 1877 | Newspaper
This excerpt from the July 19, 1877 edition of the London Times offers a description of the strikers' control of the Baltimore and Ohio line.
July 18, 1877 | Newspaper
This article from the July 18, 1877 edition of the Baltimore Sun gives an account of the strikers' growing strength and the government's inability to stop it.