Monitoring Progress: A Record Keeping Endeavor
In the heart of Baltimore, nestled within the historic Mount Clare Station and Roundhouse building, lies the B&O Railroad Museum (BORM). Established in 1953, this museum is a testament to the birthplace of American railroading, having been home to the first common carrier railway in the US, the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad, which was founded in 1827.
The BORM's collection is a rich mine of historical artifacts, spanning approximately 7,200 linear feet. The collection includes locomotives, archives, library materials, and small objects. Interestingly, the museum's collection seems to focus on the period from the 1820s to the early 1970s, with no items appearing to predate the 1820s or postdate the early 1970s.
Anna Kresmer, an archivist at the museum, compares the creation of the B&O Railroad to a "seismic culture shift" and the internet. She believes that the railroad played a crucial role in transforming the nation from small town or small colony identification into a nation. It changed the concept and understanding of distance and what constituted a country.
Kresmer, who started her work at the B&O Railroad Museum in 2016, analyses and catalogues materials, supports exhibit development, and oversees the museum's research library, which houses over 5,000 titles. The materials in the library and archives, particularly, aid in understanding the establishment of a shared American identity. They provide a broader context for societal changes in the 19th and 20th centuries.
One of the museum's most prized possessions is a mechanical pencil gifted by President Abraham Lincoln to John Work Garrett, a prominent figure in the B&O Railroad's history. The collection also includes original journals of surveyors determining the railroad's path, as well as items from B&O's two-week-long centennial celebration in 1927, the Fair of the Iron Horse.
The B&O Railroad Museum serves as a valuable resource for researchers, historians, and enthusiasts alike. Kresmer fulfills reference requests from various disciplines, including rail history buffs, authors, and screenwriters. Baltimore, as the birthplace of American railroading, continues to celebrate its rich history through the B&O Railroad Museum, offering visitors a unique glimpse into the past.
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