A Short Illustrated History of the B&O Railroad and Garrett County
- Craig Rhinehart
- Jun 1
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 30
Before there was a county, there was a railroad
The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O) was created in 1827 as Baltimore’s strategic answer to the new transportation economy forming around The National Road, canals, and western trade. The idea was simple but bold: build an all-weather, high-capacity railroad from the port of Baltimore to the Ohio Valley and the interior markets beyond.
Decades before Garrett County existed as a political unit, the B&O was already building the physical and economic corridor that would define the region. By the time the line reached deep into western Maryland, it had become both an engineering enterprise and a place-making force. The railroad established new nodes of commerce, pulling timber and coal into wider markets, and turning mountain geography into a transportation system.
The railroad crosses the high country, and creates a “summit landscape”
When the B&O pressed west, it confronted one of the hardest problems in American railroading - moving heavy trains through steep mountain grades. In what is now Garrett County, the climb to the railroad summit at Altamont became a defining technical achievement with a 17-mile ascent up Backbone Mountain to Altamont (2,628 feet) and a 2.2% ruling grade. A grade steep enough to shape locomotive assignments and define the railroad’s engineering identity.
Mountain railroading required water, fuel, crews, maintenance, and operating discipline. Those needs, in turn, anchored jobs and services and encouraged town growth near stations and rail facilities. The railroad reached Oakland in 1851, and Wheeling in 1853, and the Ohio Valley.
Garrett County is created and named for the railroad’s president
Garrett County became a Maryland county in 1872. It was named for John Work Garrett, then the president of the B&O (elected in 1858) - a clear signal that, in local memory and state politics, the railroad’s influence was central to the region’s identity. He served as B&O president for 26 years until his death.
The Civil War era: the B&O as strategic infrastructure
The railroad was not merely a private business; it was a contested national asset. Oakland played a strategic role during the Civil War due to its location on the B&O Railroad, which served as a crucial supply line for Union forces. The town was the site of the Jones-Imboden Confederate raid (1863). During this raid, they burned the B&O Railroad bridge in Oakland and briefly occupied the town.
After the war: the B&O builds a resort economy in the mountains
The B&O did more than bring trains through the mountains; it invested in the region as a destination, building and promoting grand resort hotels at Deer Park and Oakland and marketing the cool Allegheny highlands as a place of health, scenery, and summer escape. In doing so, the railroad created jobs, supported local farms and suppliers, filled hotels and boarding houses, moved visitors and goods, and helped turn mountain stations into thriving community anchors. It even promoted the area as the Switzerland of the Alleghanies.
Deer Park: the flagship mountain retreat and springs
The Deer Park Hotel opened on July 4, 1873, promoted as an upscale summer retreat reachable with the prestige of arriving by train. Deer Park became one of the signature symbols of Garrett County’s rail-driven tourism identity, and it’s also personally tied to John Work Garrett. He owned several cottages and died at Deer Park in 1884. Deer Park Spring Water was served at the resort and on B&O passenger trains. The brand lives on even though the water itself no longer comes from Deer Park.
Oakland: from rail town to resort gateway, and the Oakland Hotel
As the resort model proved itself, the B&O expanded the concept into Oakland with the 300-room Oakland Hotel. Built on land directly across the Little Youghiogheny River from the Oakland train station, a short bridge spanned the river next to the station, and guests could walk or take a carriage through park-like lawns up to the front of the hotel.
Mountain Lake Park and Loch Lynn Heights: rail access creates “paired resort towns”
East of Oakland, two distinct resort communities developed in close proximity: Mountain Lake Park and Loch Lynn Heights. Their story is a reminder that railroads shaped not only economics but community design and social geography. Travelers shared the E. Francis Baldwin-designed Mountain Lake Park rail station. The communities were linked by a boardwalk to facilitate resort movement and visitor circulation. The Victorian Chautauqua still happens each year.
The lasting landmark: Oakland Station becomes the Oakland B&O Museum
In 1884, the B&O built the E. Francis Baldwin-designed Oakland station that still anchors downtown. In addition to its role in the economic development of the region, the Oakland B&O Station is one of the finest remaining examples in Maryland of a Queen Anne-style railroad station. It has been on the Maryland Historical Trust's National Register since 1974.
Today, that historic station houses the Oakland B&O Museum, preserving artifacts and interpreting the county’s railroad story for residents and visitors. The restored Queen Anne-style station is striking, with its bell-shaped turret and stained glass. You can even climb into the cab and ring the bell of the recently restored, 1920 Baldwin 2-8-0, B&O Steam Locomotive #467.
Just around the corner is the Garrett County Historical Society. You can't miss the replica Deer Park Hotel building facade. Visit over 200 Years of Garrett County in one afternoon. They combine many facets of Garrett County History into three museums with wide-ranging displays and presentations.
