Lying just north of the Potomac River in the heart of the fertile Cumberland Valley, Hagerstown, Maryland has been at the crossroads of history and commerce since its founding in 1762. Nestled between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains, the city sits on a north-south path that migration, war, and commerce have traveled for centuries, while the nearby Potomac River carves out a natural path that served as a gateway to the American West. This fortunate geography influenced the growth and development of Hagerstown, the seat of Washington County, and also earned it the nickname "Hub City."...

Conococheague and Potomac Streets, Doubleday Hill, Springfield Farm, the C&O Canal--these names conjure up images of Williamsport, Maryland. The first settlement in what was to become Washington County was located here in the heart of the Cumberland Valley in the late 1730s. This small trading post, set amid local Native American tribes, formed the basis of the town of Williamsport. Gen. Otho Holland Williams, a Revolutionary War hero from the region, laid out what he intended to be a grand city with wide avenues on the banks of the great and mighty Potomac. Upon hearing that George...

Hagerstown, Maryland's history is inextricably linked to the railroad. Hagerstown's nickname of the "Hub City" comes from the wheel-spoke effect that the many rail lines in and out of the city created. The first train cars from the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad reached the limits of Washington County on December 3, 1834, where the line crossed into Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. The railroad was instrumental in transporting both goods and passengers and helped spell the demise of the C & O Canal. Through the years, the railroads continued to ply the tracks through the county providing work for...

Eel Pot, Buffalo Wallows, Coxson Rest, Tankerville, Hawkins' Merry-Peep-O-Day, Berlin--readers might not recognize a few of the names the area now known as Brunswick went by in years past. Brunswick, Maryland, just six miles by towpath from historic Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, is rich in history. The area holds Civil War importance and served as a supply depot for the Union army after the Battle of Antietam. Primarily known as a canal town until the late 1800s, the town became an important rail center when the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad came to
town and set up huge rail...