Chartered in Maryland on February 28, 1827, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O) was the first common carrier railroad in the United States.
At the time, Baltimore was the second largest city in the country. Not only was the city large, but it possessed a grand vision of the future, which it was convinced would arrive on rails.
Twenty-five visionaries, mostly Baltimore merchants, along with Maryland and Baltimore officials, were certain of the railroad’s potential. So, on July 4, 1828, the first stone for the B&O track was laid. Charles Carroll of Carrollton, a wealthy landowner, and one of the founding directors of the group, officiated the ceremony before members and a lively Baltimore crowd. “I consider this among the most important acts of my life, second only to my signing of the Declaration of Independence, if even it be
