The B&O Railroad Museum, the birthplace of American railroading, is pleased to announce that Joe Hinrichs, President and CEO of the CSX Corporation will chair the Museum’s $30 million dollar capital campaign to transform the Museum’s campus in preparation for the 200th Anniversary of American Railroading in 2027.
The B&O Railroad Museum is a historic site located in Baltimore, Maryland, on the original grounds of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, the first commercially chartered railroad in the country in 1827. The Museum’s campus extends 40 acres into Southwest/West Baltimore and contains the first mile of commercial track ever laid in the country, 8 historic buildings including the 1851 Mt. Clare Station recently designated a National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Site, and the beautiful 1884 Roundhouse. As a national historic landmark, the Museum annually receives visitors from all 50 United States and over 40 countries.
The Museum plans to restore the South Car Works building located on its property, the oldest, continuously operating railroad repair facility in the United States if not the world, 1869 – 1990. In restoring this nationally significant 33,000 square feet building and making it the new entrance to the Museum, the Museum will reimagine its campus flow to face Southwest Baltimore to spark community economic development. The restored building will create space for an Innovation Hall to exhibit the present and future of American railroading technology, add state-of-the-art educational space, and house the Museum’s extensive historical archives.
To kick off the campaign, the CSX Corporation has donated a gift of $5 million to the Campaign to build the “CSX Bicentennial Garden,” an amphitheater and multi-use space that can host local organizations and hold community gatherings. This installation will serve as a vibrant event space and provide a fresh, new location to welcome visitors to the museum. CSX is the first corporate patron to pledge support for the campaign.
Joe Hinrichs, President and CEO of CSX said: “CSX is the proud successor to America’s first commercial railroad — the Baltimore & Ohio. As proud as we are of our heritage, we are equally excited about the future. Both the future of our modern transportation company, and the future of the dynamic and visionary B&O Railroad Museum. Which is why I am honored to chair the B&O Museum’s 200th Anniversary Campus Transformation Campaign, as we prepare to celebrate the bicentennial of American railroading in 2027. This campaign is an excellent way to celebrate our nation’s railroad history by contributing to a one-of-a-kind learning experience for generations to come.”
-via Press Release