This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
6/19/2025
The B&O Railroad Museum yesterday unveiled a new website — AmericanRail200.org — that individuals, communities and organizations can use to help announce celebratory events related to the 200th anniversary of American railroading in 2027.
The B&O will host its first anniversary event on July 4, 2026, when a time capsule, placed in the first stone of the railroad in 1827, will be opened, said B&O Museum officials in a press release. The museum is in Baltimore on the original grounds of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, which became the first commercially chartered railroad in the country in 1827.
Those planning anniversary events can use the website to submit information about those events to the website. News and updates related to 2027 celebrations can be shared, fostering a comprehensive resource for all, museum officials said.
"The 200th anniversary of American railroading is an opportunity for all Americans to celebrate an industry whose tracks form the DNA of American life," said Kris Hoellen, the museum's executive director. "Through americanrail200.org, everyone can participate in the bicentennial and plan their vacations by searching the website for events and activities to attend in 2027. We invite everyone to explore, connect and contribute."
Early partners in the anniversary celebration include CSX and Amtrak. CSX President and CEO Joe Hinrichs is chair of the B&O Railroad Museum's $30 million capital campaign to transform its campus in preparation for the anniversary. To kick off the capital campaign, CSX donated $5 million to build a CSX Bicentennial Garden, an amphitheater and multi-use space that can host community gatherings.
When completed, the revamped museum campus will become a "one-of-a-kind learning experience for generations to come," Hinrichs has said.
On Feb. 28, 1827, the B&O became the first common carrier railroad chartered in North America for the commercial transportation of freight and passengers. Today, the industry moves over 28 million passengers on Amtrak and facilitates over $2 billion a day of economic commerce via freight railroads.