Chesapeake Beach railway station

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Chesapeake Beach railway station
Chesapeake Beach Station Dec 08.JPG
Chesapeake Beach railway station, December 2008
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Location8005 Bayside Rd., Chesapeake Beach, Maryland
Coordinates 38°41′24″N76°32′3″W / 38.69000°N 76.53417°W / 38.69000; -76.53417 Coordinates: 38°41′24″N76°32′3″W / 38.69000°N 76.53417°W / 38.69000; -76.53417
Built1898
ArchitectMr. Winston
NRHP reference # 80001798 [1]
Added to NRHPSeptember 11, 1980

The Chesapeake Beach railway station is a historic railway station located at Chesapeake Beach, Calvert County, Maryland, United States. It is composed of two one-story, hip-roofed sections; one part was once an open passenger boarding area that was later enclosed for storage. The station was erected in 1898, for the Chesapeake Beach Railway. [2] It is now operated as a railway museum.

Chesapeake Beach, Maryland Town in Maryland

Chesapeake Beach is a town in Calvert County, Maryland. Its major attractions include the Chesapeake Beach Railway Station, the Chesapeake Beach Rail Trail, a water park, marinas, piers, and charter boat fishing. The town's population was recorded as 5,753 in the 2010 census.

Calvert County, Maryland County in Maryland

Calvert County is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2010 census, the population was 88,737. Its county seat is Prince Frederick. The county's name is derived from the family name of the Barons of Baltimore, the proprietors of the English Colony of Maryland.

Maryland U.S. state in the United States

Maryland is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east. The state's largest city is Baltimore, and its capital is Annapolis. Among its occasional nicknames are Old Line State, the Free State, and the Chesapeake Bay State. It is named after the English queen Henrietta Maria, known in England as Queen Mary, who was the wife of King Charles I.

Contents

The Chesapeake Beach Railway Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. [1]

National Register of Historic Places Federal list of historic sites in the United States

The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance. A property listed in the National Register, or located within a National Register Historic District, may qualify for tax incentives derived from the total value of expenses incurred in preserving the property.

Museum

The station was dedicated as a museum to the Calvert County Board of Commissioners by Gerald and Fred Donovan in 1979. [3] The Calvert County Historical Society is responsible for maintaining the building and its exhibits. The museum features artifacts, exhibits and programs commemorating the Chesapeake Beach Railway and local history. [4]

History

The station was originally opened as a stop along the railway when Otto Mears sought to create a resort town at the Chesapeake Bay between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Mears and his business associates established hotels, beaches, casinos and a boardwalk. On June 9, 1900, the first train arrived at the station. However, 35 years later, the Great Depression and the growing popularity of cars led to a decline in business. The last train left the station on April 15, 1935. [5]

Otto Mears Road and railroad builder

Otto Mears was a famous Colorado railroad builder and entrepreneur who played a major role in the early development of southwestern Colorado.

Chesapeake Bay An estuary in the U.S. states of Maryland and Virginia

The Chesapeake Bay is an estuary in the U.S. states of Maryland and Virginia. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula with its mouth located between Cape Henry and Cape Charles. With its northern portion in Maryland and the southern part in Virginia, the Chesapeake Bay is a very important feature for the ecology and economy of those two states, as well as others. More than 150 major rivers and streams flow into the Bay's 64,299-square-mile (166,534 km2) drainage basin, which covers parts of six states and all of Washington, D.C.

Baltimore Largest city in Maryland, United States

Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the 30th most populous city in the United States, with a population of 602,495 in 2018 and also the largest such independent city in the country. Baltimore was established by the Constitution of Maryland as an independent city in 1729. As of 2017, the population of the Baltimore metropolitan area was estimated to be just under 2.802 million, making it the 21st largest metropolitan area in the country. Baltimore is located about 40 miles (64 km) northeast of Washington, D.C., making it a principal city in the Washington-Baltimore combined statistical area (CSA), the fourth-largest CSA in the nation, with a calculated 2018 population of 9,797,063.

See also

Chesapeake Beach Railway

The Chesapeake Beach Railway (CBR), now defunct, was an American railroad of southern Maryland and Washington, DC built in the 19th century. The CBR ran 27.629 miles from Washington, D.C. on tracks formerly owned by the Southern Maryland Railroad and then on its own single track through Maryland farm country to a resort at Chesapeake Beach. It was built by Otto Mears, a Colorado railroad builder, who planned a shoreline resort with railroad service from Washington and Baltimore. It served Washington and Chesapeake Beach for almost 35 years, but the Great Depression and the rise of the automobile marked the end of the CBR. The last train left the station on April 15, 1935. Parts of the right-of-way are now used for roads and a future rail trail.

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References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. Merry Stinson (June 1979). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Chesapeake Beach Railway Station" (PDF). Maryland Historical Trust. Retrieved 2016-01-01.
  3. "Major Attractions - Railway Museum". The Town of Chesapeake Beach.
  4. "Chesapeake Beach Railway Museum". Archived from the original on 2005-06-28.
  5. "The Chesapeake Beach Railway Museum". Archived from the original on 2005-06-28.