9-24-2024 4:35am

DAYTRIPS: OAKLAND'S

B&O Museum plans fall events

OAKLAND — The Oakland B&O Railroad Museum will host Sharon A. Harwood as the fourth and final speaker in the summer speaker series at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 26.

Harwood is a renowned historian and speaker. She is a graduate of Goucher College and is retired from the Montgomery County Public School System, and her family’s careers cover 120 years in American railroading which provide the foundation of her interest in the industry.

She is married to Herbert H. Harwood, Jr., a retired CSX officer and author of “Impossible Challenge: The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in Maryland” as well as many other books about railroad history.

Harwood’s one-hour talk and PowerPoint presentation will tell the story of a project that was derailed by the Great Depression of 1929. Olive Dennis, Engineer of Service, was tasked with collecting and photographing significant Civil War blockhouse sites along the Cumberland Division’s East End, Brunswick to Cumberland.

What she uncovered and discovered — the stories and her photographs — were found in old files from the B&O Historical Society’s headquarters and in materials on eBay.

The presentation will allow guests to travel back to 1929 to meet Olive Dennis, B&O President Daniel Willard, and Brunswick Yard Master John T. Martin to explore the Civil War blockhouses on the East End in “Lost and Found: The Historical Markers Project of 1929.”

On Sept. 28 and Oct. 5, Leo Howard has arranged for bus service from Oakland to Elkins, W.Va., to board the Tygart Flyer for a scenic ride to the High Falls on the Cheat River. Sharon and Herb Harwood will be recognized for their contributions to railroad history on the Sept. 28 ride. For more information or to make reservations, call Howard at 304-677-8951.

Brochures with train information are available at the Oakland B&O Museum, 117 E. Liberty Street, Oakland, MD, and various businesses in Garrett County.

The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. each Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Call 301-616-0661 for more information.