Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum, Inc.
Post Office Box 2858, Hagerstown, Maryland 21741
| PRESS RELEASE | October 17, 1998 |
As you drive by the piles of rubble near the railroad tracks in Hagerstown, Maryland, you see what is left of the dreams of the community - a working museum based in the historic roundhouse and shops of the Western Maryland Railway. For ten years a band of several hundred rail historians and enthusiasts, with the support of the local citizenry, have struggled to save these structures and property nestled between the active tracks of the Norfolk Southern and CSX railroads.
While the roundhouse is not gone yet, it only has days to live. During the last 14 months the hopes that the buildings could be saved have turned to despair as a demolition contractor has taken down a dozen smaller buildings and is preparing to bring down the roundhouse, locomotive and machine shops and warehouse. That is about all that is left of the complex that employed over 2000 workers at the peak of rail employment in the Hub City, so named for the seven rail lines radiating from its center.
In 1988, the CSX Corporation, current owner of the property prepared to level the complex in order to develop the property commercially. In cooperation with the Mayor and other interested political figures and citizens, CSX was persuaded to save the structures and later to lease the property to a newly- formed Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum. During the ensuing years, CSX has spent over $1,000,000 removing environmental hazards from the property.
While waiting for the property to be formally offered to the Museum, its members developed a temporary display building located adjacent to the property and began its collection of 3 locomotives, an old Hagerstown Trolley and a dozen rail passenger and freight cars. Over the years, this temporary enterprise has filled the leased building to overflowing, sponsored almost two dozen rail excursions from Hagerstown, drawn visitors from all 50 states and almost 40 foreign countries, and become the second-largest tourist draw in the County.
Finally, in August of 1997, the property was offered, as a gift, to the Museum. Conditions of the gift were such that it was to be accepted by the City of Hagerstown for lease to the Museum, at least until the Museum was able to renovate the structures and achieve adequate financial strength to sustain its operation. One condition of the gift was that a final $500,000 be raised to complete environmental and safety cleanup of the property; a condition accepted by the Museum. Preparation for the transfer of the property to the City and the Museum proceeded smoothly, with specifications prepared for the cleanup work and demolition of one or two buildings beyond repair.
Early in August of this year, to the surprise of the entire community, the City of Hagerstown rejected the offer made by CSX. The Museum made immediate overtures to the County and State governments for support. The County, on the advice of the City, also refused to accept the property as a donation.
Why this turnabout? It was found that the City desired to build a multi- million dollar road across the rail property. While the City indicated that environmental concerns were also a reason for rejecting the CSX offer, the owners had offered to enter a voluntary cleanup program sponsored by the State which would relieve the City of any liability for cleanup of existing pollutants.
Thus, the City was willing to trade the potential of a 300,000-visitor tourist attraction for a road that would essentially destroy the historic structures and move traffic congestion from one intersection to an even more congested one. This road, an extension of another road built to allow development on the outskirts of the City is not even supported by the County and State Highway departments and would probably bleed even more traffic from the City's decaying downtown area.
The Museum turned to the National Railway Historical Society, an organization of rail historians with over 170 chapters nationwide, and with the support of the local U.S. Congressman, an offer was made by the Society to take the property for the Museum. This offer was unanimously supported by City, County, State and Federal officials and hopes of the Museum supporters rose. However, the offer was rejected by CSX, with the insistence that a government entity take responsibility for the property. Another attempt to secure support from the City failed, and demolition of the roundhouse and other remaining buildings is imminent.
The last remaining possibility for saving the Museum appears to be acceptance of the CSX gift by the State of Maryland. The State has programs for preserving rail property for future use and two potential uses are viable:
In the midst of impending doom, members of the Museum soldier on. The annual Autumn Leaves Train Excursions are scheduled for October 24 and 25, departing Hagerstown for Woodsboro, Maryland on Saturday the 24th and for New Oxford and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on the 25th. Both trains operate over the scenic South Mountain rails of CSX and the Saturday trip is a special event, routed over the Maryland Midland Railway on the line which brought the Western Maryland Railway to Hagerstown in 1872. The Saturday train features a Civil War reenactment of the Battle of Woodsboro with that celebrated at its destination. The Sunday train allows passengers to drop off at Gettysburg to visit the battlefield or ride the Gettysburg Railroad's Lunch Train or to continue on to the quaint town of New Oxford with its antique shops and railroad museum. Both destinations are making special food service arrangements for passengers. Fares are $49 for adults, a discounted $44 fare for senior citizens, and $20 for children 3-12 for each of the trips. Further information and tickets are available from the Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum (301) 739-4665, or the Tourism Office located at 16 Public Square in Hagerstown (301) 791-3246. Additional sales points are at Williamsport, Maryland and Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania.
The Roundhouse Museum asks for the support of all the citizens of Maryland and the local tristate area in its negotiations with the State of Maryland. This is our last chance and we need your help to save this last remaining complete roundhouse and rail shop facility in America. We hope to see our State answer this urgent call for rescue.
300 S. Burhans Boulevard, Hagerstown, MD, 21741 - (301) 739-4665
FAX (301) 739-5598 - e-mail nrhsmember@aol.com - www.roundhouse.org
World Wide Web links related to this press release:
http://www.roundhouse.org/ - Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum, Inc.
http://www.rrhistorical.com/nrhs/ - National Railway Historical Society
http://www.trainweb.com/roundhouse/trip1098.htm - Autumn Leaves Train Excursions
