Starting with one of the oldest railroad lines in the United States, the Delmarva Peninsula holds a unique place in the history of railroading in the country. Prior to the advent of the "iron horse," the area had seen little growth in population and was struggling to get goods to market, as well as supplies brought into the area. The three states that make up the area--all of Delaware and the eastern shores of Maryland and Virginia--were known to have some of the best fields and orchards, a bountiful seafood harvest, and some of the richest woodlands in America. The area flourished with the introduction of the railroad. While passenger service was certainly a part of the railroad's plans, make no mistake, it was these riches that made the area swell with people while small towns became flush with income. Some of the most profitable divisions of the railroad industry were based on the Delmarva Peninsula.

The history of the Delmarva Peninsula is inextricably entwined with the story of its railroads. The earliest railroads were short, locally funded lines. The dream to connect Norfolk directly to Eastern Seaboard cities farther north was first realized by the New York, Philadelphia & Norfolk Railroad in the 1880s. The line ran north-south along the peninsula to Cape Charles City, Virginia, where freight cars were loaded onto barges for the trip across the Chesapeake Bay. This line was eventually absorbed by the giant Pennsylvania Railroad, and the ferry service was eclipsed when the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel was completed in 1964. For more than a century, though, railroads played a critical role in the development of the Eastern Shore. Regional historian Lorett Treese tells this story.

For over 100 years, the railroads of America were the king of transportation. But more than that, they were truly what drove the Industrial Revolution, and along with that, the growth of the country. Railroads made communities from nothing, grew sleepy crossroad towns into major hubs of commerce, and opened areas of Delmarva to goods they once could only read about in magazines and newspapers. By the 1960s, all of this had changed. Passenger service had fallen off to the point that most railroads had ended this once vital travel method. Trucks now hauled the goods that once filled the boxcars of the railroad. Many old rail lines closed. The rails and stations were abandoned to the state governments. Most were just left in place to rust and rot away. This book resurrects those abandoned rails and railroad companies. Photos of the stations, once the center of their town's growth, are preserved in these pages. Memories of the companies that crisscrossed Delmarva are brought back to life.

"The New York, Philadelphia & Norfolk line"--Back cover.

The inspiring stories of the Underground Railroad come alive for our times in "Tubman Travels: 32 Underground Railroad Journeys on Delmarva." Join award-winning author Jim Duffy as he wanders the Delmarva Peninsula in search of sites and scenes that put modern-day travelers in touch with unforgettable tales from the courageous journeys of Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and an array of lesser-known heroes who set out through this region in search of freedom from slavery.