Picture This: A Glimpse into Catonsville’s Storied Past

In 1830, the nation’s first railroad track had its debut from Baltimore to Ellicott Mills, a distance of 13 miles. The first trains were horse-drawn wagons that ran on rails made of wood. Since the distance between the two towns was considered too long for one team of horses, a new team, known as a relay, was secured at the halfway point of the trip. So it was that the town of Relay acquired its name.

According to the Historic Relay website, Relay is a town with many firsts. To name but two: the Thomas Viaduct, constructed in 1833–1835, is the world’s largest multiple, arched stone railroad bridge that was built on a curving track; and the world’s first telegraph poles were installed in 1844. Benjamin Latrobe designed the Thomas Viaduct, named in honor of Phillip Thomas, the first president of the B&O Railroad.

The Viaduct Hotel, a combination hotel and railroad station, was built in 1872–1873, to replace the former Relay House, which had burned down. The new hotel was a gothic, three-story structure built of Patapsco granite trimmed in red Seneca stone. Adjoining it was a two-story station, the first such built for the comfort of railway passengers. The hotel also featured a two-story porch on the Patapsco River side that offered visitors a magnificent view of the river and the Thomas Viaduct.

In its heyday, the Viaduct Hotel was a popular and fashionable place to stay on the way from New York to points south and west. When the station closed in 1938, the hotel also shut its doors and was finally razed in 1950. A marker once graced the spot, but only the low stone plinth it sat on survived, until as recently as 2008. Much of the large garden between the hotel and the drop-off to the Patapsco has eroded away completely.

In this circa 1880 photo, “bigwigs” who were most likely connected with the B&O Railroad were photo-montaged by the engine in front of the hotel. Research is under way by librarians at the branch of the Baltimore County Public Library, to determine their identities.

Thanks go to Bryce Rumbles, librarian at the Catonsville branch, and Lisa Vicari, Catonsville Room volunteer and board member, Friends of the Catonsville Library, for their research assistance.