ABSTRACT: Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company notice for opening land for a railroad line and for an individual’s property to be assessed in court in Berkley, Virginia.
SCOPE: Manuscript was written in 1839 by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company to Thomas T. Evans. This notice was sent to tell him that his land would be pulled into the construction of the continuing B&O railroad line, and that the company was to send freeholders to assess any damages caused to his land.
EXTENT: 1 page broadside notice
HISTORY: The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was chartered in 1827. It holds the title of the oldest railroad in the United States, and was the first to become a common carrier. The railroad was built because merchants from Baltimore wanted the ability to trade with settlers going through the Appalachian Mountains. It began in Maryland and soon continued into Virginia, where Evans lived. The notice shows their expansion efforts as well as their legal efforts to appear impartial when properly reimbursing individuals whose land had been used by the railroad.
ACCESS: This collection can be viewed on-site in the Rare Book and Manuscripts Reading Room. Some of the material may be photocopied, digitally scanned or photographed, subject to condition and other access restrictions. Information on conducting research with the archival collections of the Library, including current building hours and reading room policies, can be found on our Research page. The St. Louis Mercantile Library is located on levels one and two of the Thomas Jefferson Library building on the University of Missouri-St. Louis’ north campus.
Preferred Citation note: The preferred citation for this collection is “From the collections of the John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library at the University of Missouri–St. Louis."
