Evening star., 1942-12-20
History Being Made

tlStlc, munlncent treatment OF ltS TdlI'
road facilities.
History Being Made
Naturally, this depot played very i'm
portant part in the first World War,
but not to the same extent it is doing
today. And since it was not in existence
during the Spanish-American War, 1t
could not have played any part at that
time But just now great deal OF
history is being made in and around this
station, which will make most interest
ing reading in days to come.
The first steam railroad station in
this city was occupied as such by the
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad for many
years. 1t stood at the northwest corner
of Second street and Pennsylvania ave-
nue. NV until removed in 1869,
When the first railroad train entered
this city on August 25, 1885, it became,
quite naturally, one of the first railroad
depots opened in this country
One hundred and seven years make
quite difference in any city, and the
Washington of today, aside from its COM
parison to the LEnfant plan, bears
little resemblance, indeed, to the Wash
ington of 1885, when the steam engines
George Washington. John Adams,
Thomas Jefferson and James Madison
came putting into the National Capt.
tai for the first time, bringing along
distinguished guests from the Monu-
mental City, to be discharged near the
old Tiber Creek, which then crossed the
Avenue at Second street.
In connection with the opening of this
early railroad station. of a little more
than a century ago, 1t might well be said,
and with degree of certainty, that a
hundred years hence, when our sue
cessors are seeking information of the
present period they will find it much
easier than we do today of early news,
for the press of this era is generally more
generous in giving fuller details of the
more interesting happenings of the day
than was the case a century ago, when
frequently we find little said of things
we now consider of prime Importance.
And so it was with the opening of the
first railroad depot in Washington re-
garding which there is much not covered
in the early reports.
However, the cause for this brevity on
local current events is easily discovered
by those who like to read old newspapers
for they soon see that everything-in-
cluding even births, deaths and mar
riages-is at times sidetracked for po-
litical news Nearly all newspapers o1
a hundred years ago-and many ever
more recently-were either owned out.
right by the political parties themselve!
or at least to an extent subsidized b!
them, and what Mr.. Clay, Mr.. Calhoun
or Mr.. Webster had to say about States
rights or the tariff was far more i'm
portant to the papers than some mer
local celebration. and that is why tn
historian sometimes falls back on hi
imagination.
First Railroad Depot
The running of the first railroad trai
into Washington and the opening OF tn
first railroad depot was not only on
factor in the dawn of an epoch in tn
United States, but great historic ever
in the National Capital as well, and ye
we find comparatively little said OF 1t
advance of it's occurrence. Indeed, tn
Na.ional Intelligencer of August "a. l83
briefly states:
"The Opening of the Baltimore
and Washington Railroad
1.-TWO cars will leave the ticket oflc
at the intersection of Second stree
west and Pennsylvania avenue, this de
(Monday) at o'clock pm. to conve
the invited guests to Baltimore, to jo
the train from Baltimore on Tuesds
morning.
"a car will leave WASHINGTON on Tue