History Conversations REWIND: From Corn to Commuters: How the railroad changed the way of life & the future of Montgomery County

The opening of the Metropolitan Branch of the B&O Railroad in 1873 was a pivotal event that changed the face of Montgomery County forever. Featured in this presentation are the railroad stations designed by Francis Baldwin, and extraordinary feats of engineering such as the curving trestle over Little Seneca Creek and the Bollman Truss viaduct over the Monocacy River. New suburban and agricultural towns spawned by the new railroad catapulted the county into the Industrial Age. This talk is based on Susan’s book The Met: A History of the Metropolitan Branch of the B&O Railroad, published in 1998 for the 125th anniversary of the rail line, and updated in 2016 by the Germantown Historical Society. Originally aired May 2023.