There is a station located in Aberdeen Maryland (about 20 miles outside of Baltimore) that is an old 1880s B&O station. I believe it was designed by a fellow named Furness, and from what I recall, this station is the only extant B&O station left from Baltimore to Philly. Now I do know that CSX has wanted to tear this station down. However CSX is open to having it moved. There has been a group trying to preserve the station, and I have written letters urging that it be saved as an irreplaceable part of Americana. I just received this email: Dear Mr. Henderson, I apologize for the lack of communication to you and the other supporters of the project. Unfortunately, as the director of the Historical Society I get pulled in many different directions and have not been as timely in posting updates as I would prefer. Having said that I can tell you that as of the last month the paperwork as been initiated asking CSX to surplus the land on which we hope to relocate the station. The architectural firm which was ultimately hired determined that the building was indeed sound enough to with stand a move and this opinion was confirmed by a building mover. Several proposals for an end use of the eventually renovated building have been proposed although no decision has been made there. the focus of our efforts is to obtain the land and raise enough funds for the actual move. I am actually today composing a letter to be sent out to all of our supporters to date in an attempt to let everyone know that this is still a viable project and provide them with as many details as possible. If you would like to send me your mailing address I will make sure that you receive a copy. Thank you for your continued interest. Sincerely, Maryanna Hopefully this station can be moved and restored. It looks bad from the outside, frankly, but I'm not an architect nor an engineer. President Street Station looked a mess at one time, too. My understanding is that they want to move it some distance further from the tracks. I have a photo of it at my railimages.com site: http://www.railimages.com/gallery/davehenderson
Am a big fan of railroad stations. So when one can be preserved, it's delightful news! Keep pushing! Don't let condition be a deterent. Check out this web site. It's a group that has done a fabulous job of bringing back a Milwaukee Road station that was in worse condition! www.milwelectric.org Perhaps there is something in their methods, that you could adopt for raising interest, money, or? Boxcab E50
Here are a couple of pictures of the Aberdeen Station from 2003 Saving the station from this level of deterioration will be a large undertaking.
It can be done! The link I offered earlier will show a lot. That project started with a building in much worse condition. No foundation, fire damage, and more. The main things needed are good PR with that local community. A good grant writer. And a lot of heart. Boxcab E50
It's a big undertaking, but not hopeless. I have an article that'll be appearing in the next issue of the B&ORRHS magazine "The Sentinel". I'm hoping that some of my B&O buddies will step up with donations and letters of support.
I'll tell you right now that is one of the better looking neglected railroad stations I've seen in a while, most are lost in the middle of the woods with collapsed roofs (rooves? ).
This one is located in mid-town Aberdeen. I think it's a shame nobody thought to preserve this station years ago. Anyway, it's structurally sound enough to be moved. And you're right- at least the roof is still intact!
Any idea what happened to this? Muskegon's railroad stations are pretty safe these days, but I'm into historic preservation in the larger sense. I would say that if Potter Street Station in Saginaw can be saved, this one definitely can. -Dave
Don't know the status of the project, but I bet I know of a GREAT person to approach for help; Cal Ripken, Jr. As in Ironman Cal, the baseball player. He's an Aberdeen native, has a big investment in keeping Aberdeen history alive, and loves his hometown! If ANYONE would have the money and the interest, he's the man.
Now if only one of the millionaires from one of the Detroit teams would take an interest in the old Michigan Central Station. -Dave
