Carrollton Viaduct

Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland

Carrollton Viaduct

Carrollton Viaduct over the Gwynns Falls stream in southwest Baltimore, first bridge built 1828–1829 for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, founded 1827. Pictured in 1971

Coordinates| 39°16′31″N 76°39′18″W﻿ / ﻿39.2754°N 76.6549°W﻿ / 39.2754; -76.6549
Carries| Railroad
Crosses| Gwynns Falls
Locale| Baltimore, Maryland
Owner| CSX Transportation
Characteristics
Design| Arch bridge
Material| Granite
Total length| 312 feet (95 m)
Height| 65 feet (20 m)
Longest span| 80 feet (24 m)
Clearance below| 51 feet 9 inches (15.8 m)
History
Construction start| 1828 (1828)
Opened| 1829

Carrollton Viaduct

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

U.S. National Historic Landmark

Carrollton Viaduct

Location| Gwynn's Falls near Carroll Park, Baltimore, Maryland
Coordinates| 39°16′31.5″N 76°39′17.6″W﻿ / ﻿39.275417°N 76.654889°W﻿ / 39.275417; -76.654889
Built| 1829
Architect| James Lloyd; Caspar Wever
NRHP reference No.| 71001032[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP| November 11, 1971[1]
Designated NHL| November 11, 1971[2]
Location

The Carrollton Viaduct, located over the Gwynns Falls stream near Carroll Park in southwest Baltimore, Maryland, is the first stone masonry bridge for railroad use in the United States, built for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, founded 1827, and one of the world's oldest railroad bridges still in use for rail traffic. Construction began in 1828 and was completed in 1829. The bridge is named in honor of Charles Carroll of Carrollton (1737–1832), of Maryland, known for being the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence, the only Roman Catholic in the Second Continental Congress (1775–1781), and wealthiest man in the Thirteen Colonies of the time of the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783).

In 1982 the viaduct was designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

## Description

[edit]

Laying of the cornerstone of the B&O.

The bridge is currently one of the world's oldest railroad bridges still in use for rail traffic, carrying loads far greater than originally envisioned.[3][4] It was named after Charles Carroll of Carrollton (1737–1832), the last living signer of the Declaration of Independence and a director of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, who laid the cornerstone on July 4, 1828.[5] As he laid the first stone he said, "I consider this among the most important acts of my life, second only to my signing the Declaration of Independence." Builder Caspar Wever and designer James Lloyd completed the structure for the railroad in November 1829, at an officially listed cost of $58,106.73 (equal to $1,662,579 today). The actual cost of the construction may have been as high as $100,000.[6]

The bridge, 312 feet (95 m) in length, rises from its foundations about 65 feet (20 m). It is 51 feet 9 inches (15.8 m) above Gwynns Falls. It consists of a full-centered arch with a clear span length of 80 feet (24 m) over the stream, and a space for two railroad tracks on its deck. To provide an underpass for a wagon road, an arched passageway, 16 feet (5 m) in width, was built through one of the masonry-walled approaches. Originally planned as one arch of 40 feet (12 m) chord, the dimensions were enlarged to quiet the concern of the proprietor of the mills located immediately above the bridge site, who feared that 40 feet would be insufficient if the stream was flooded. The heavy granite blocks which form the arches and exterior walls were procured from Ellicott's Mills and Port Deposit.[7] A temporary wooden framework supporting the central span held 1,500 tons (1,360 tonnes) of this stone during construction. A white cornerstone at one end of the bridge bears the inscription "James Lloyd of Maryland, Builder A.D. 1829."

Andrew Jackson, the first President of the United States to ride on a railroad train, crossed the bridge on a trip between Ellicott's Mills and Baltimore on June 6, 1833. The Carrollton Viaduct has provided continual service to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and its modern corporate successor, CSX Transportation.

The viaduct was designated a National Historic Landmark on November 11, 1971 and was administratively listed on the National Register of Historic Places the same day.[2][8]

In 1982 the viaduct was designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers.[9]

## See also

[edit]

* National Register of Historic Places portal
* Transport portal
* Engineering portal
* Trains portal
* Maryland portal

* Baltimore Terminal Subdivision
* List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Maryland
* List of bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Maryland
* List of National Historic Landmarks in Maryland
* National Register of Historic Places listings in South and Southeast Baltimore
* Skerne Bridge (World's oldest railroad bridge still in use for rail traffic)

## References

[edit]

Notes

1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. ^ a b "Carrollton Viaduct". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on February 11, 2007. Retrieved October 8, 2007.
3. ^ Johns Hopkins University, Department of Civil Engineering. "Carrollton Viaduct". Archived from the original on June 3, 2010. Retrieved April 5, 2006.
4. ^ "1825 Skerne Bridge, Darlington". Hidden Teesside (UK). April 29, 2012.
5. ^ Moody, John (1919). The Railroad Builders. Chronicles of America Series. Vol. 38\. Yale University Press. (The HAER report states that the cornerstone was laid in May 1828.)
6. ^ Dilts, James D. (1993). The Great Road: The Building of the Baltimore & Ohio, the Nation's First Railroad, 1828-1853. Stanford University Press. p. 75\. ISBN 0-8047-2629-9.
7. ^ Rice, Laura (2002). Maryland History In Prints. Baltimore: The Maryland Center for History and Culture. p. 82\. ISBN 9780938420712.
8. ^ W. Brown Morton III (August 5, 1971). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Carrollton Viaduct". National Park Service. Accompanying 2 photos, from 1971. (320 KiB)
9. ^ Starr, John T. (September 7, 1982). "Carrollton Viaduct, An Engineering Gem". The Evening Sun. Baltimore. p. A-4.

Works cited

* Cook, Richard J. (1987). The Beauty of Railroad Bridges in North America -- Then and Now. San Marino, California (USA): Golden West Books. ISBN 0-87095-097-5.
* Yearby, Jean P.; Edwards, Llewellyn N. (1984). "Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, Carrollton Viaduct" (PDF). Historic American Engineering Record. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 2, 2014. "Significance" section.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Whitney, Charles S. (2003). Bridges of the World: Their Design and Construction (Reprint ed.). Mineola, New York: Dover Publications. ISBN 978-0486429953. Retrieved January 12, 2025.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Carrollton Viaduct.

* American Society of Civil Engineers - Carrollton Viaduct
* Carrollton Viaduct at Structurae
* Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. MD-9, "Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, Carrollton Viaduct, Spanning Gwynn's Falls near Carroll Park, Baltimore, Independent City, MD", 5 photos, 3 data pages, 1 photo caption page
* Carrollton Viaduct, Baltimore City, including photo, at Maryland Historical Trust

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