Charles Carroll of Carrollton: America’s First Entrepreneur
Thu, Aug 20
|Oakland B&O Museum
Join us in Oakland, Maryland. As America marks 250 years since the Declaration of Independence and prepares to commemorate 200 years of American railroading, this presentation offers a timely lens on the people, ideas, and ambitions that connect the founding generation to today.
Time & Location
Aug 20, 2026, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Oakland B&O Museum, 117 E Liberty St, Oakland, MD 21550, USA
About the event
How should we understand Charles Carroll of Carrollton in the full context of his time? In this 60-minute session, Charles Carroll of Carrollton: America’s First Entrepreneur reexamines Carroll not only as a patriot and signer of the Declaration of Independence, but as a strategic entrepreneurial figure working across enterprise, land, politics, religion, influence, and infrastructure. The presentation explores how his decisions, networks, and long-range vision helped shape his era, the nation, Maryland, and the local region including the early development of the B&O Railroad and its westward expansion. Attendees will leave with a broader and more integrated view of Carroll’s historical significance.
Speaker: Craig Rhinehart, Railroad History Reimagined