Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Martinsburg Shops

By 1842, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was completed to Martinsburg. An engine house, now commonly referred to as a roundhouse, and maintenance shops were built in the late 1840s and 1850s but were destroyed by Confederate troops led by Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson in 1862.  The B&O Railroad complex was rebuilt in 1866, giving birth to a post-war industrial boom. In July 1877, railway workers went on strike for better pay and improved working conditions. Strikers were killed when federal troops broke up what became known as the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, which is recognized as the first national labor action in U.S. history.

The B&O Railroad abandoned the roundhouse and adjacent machine shops in the late 1980s, and the neglected facility deteriorated rapidly. The Berkeley County Roundhouse Authority was formed to preserve and restore the 13-acre complex of three buildings and a ruin. The 16-sided, cast-iron structure is the only remaining intact roundhouse of its kind.

If you go: Located at 100 E. Liberty St., Martinsburg, WV; For Hours of Operation, Tour Info and More: 304-260-4141 • www.roundhousewv.com

Train Station/Berkeley Hotel

Connected to the B&O Railroad Martinsburg Roundhouse and Shops complex by pedestrian bridge, Martinsburg’s train station remains in daily operation, supporting Amtrak and weekday MARC passenger services. A pedestrian bridge over the active railroad line takes Amtrak customers to their boarding platform and provides visitors with direct pedestrian access to the Roundhouse from Downtown Martinsburg.

Connected to the train station is the historic Berkeley Hotel building, which was built in 1848. The restored hotel contains the oldest, intact hotel room in the country and now houses the Berkeley County Interpretive Center of the Washington Heritage Trail and the For the Kids by George Children’s Museum.

If you go: Located at 229 East Martin Street, Martinsburg, WV; Hours for train station, museum vary.