Hi Cachers! This cache is dedicated to one of my favorite hobbies, railfanning! There are many places to railfan in Shepherdstown and when you find this cache you can also check out a historic location and learn its history!
here is some history about the Station!
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For a period of about 75 years, from 1879 until 1957, the trains stopped in Shepherdstown. Now they just pass through on their way to somewhere else. Maybe the engineer of a train has waved to you as you sat in Dr. Davis’ chair having your teeth cleaned, or maybe the sound of the train whistle has woken you up in the middle of the night. You have certainly had to wait in your car at the crossing while a train went by. That’s the way we think of trains here in Shepherdstown now, but back then, trains were exciting. Trains meant progress.
Not that trains were entirely new in 1879; trains had been around since 1830 when the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad laid a mile-and-a-half track near Baltimore. A round trip ticket cost 9 cents and people flocked to ride.1 By 1860, there were over 30,000 miles of railroad track laid in the United States. And by 1890, that number had grown to over 200,000. Until trains came along, horses (or mules) were the fastest way to get around. They pulled wagons or canal boats at about 4 or 5 miles per hour, depending on how loaded up the vehicles were. By the 1850s, trains could already go about four times that fast.2 Is it any wonder the people nicknamed the train the iron horse?
This 1858 map shows the various modes of transportation that were available to the people of Shepherdstown back then. A C&O Canal boat could be boarded right across the river. The B&O Railroad also could transport you east or west (if you could get a ride to Duffields or Kearneysville), but there was no north-south route at all. Travel remained restricted to foot or horses.