B&O Railroad Groundbreaking

On July 4, 1828, 90-year-old Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence, placed the cornerstone for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad at Mount Clare in Baltimore. This marked the birth of the first railroad in the United States chartered to carry passengers and freight for the public. The B&O faced immense engineering challenges crossing the Allegheny Mountains using early steam locomotives like the Tom Thumb and later the York. Its development spurred American industrialization, connected eastern ports to western markets, and inspired countless model railroad layouts recreating its historic 1830s right-of-way. The event symbolized the new nation's embrace of technological progress during the early republic era.