Railroads of the Eastern Shore

By Loretta Treese

Railroads played a critical role in the development of the Eastern Shore for over a century.

The history of the Delmarva Peninsula is inextricably entwined with the story of its railroads, the earliest of which 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 and 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.

Regional historian Lorett Treese tells the story of these railroads and the development they brought to the Eastern Shore.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1467147028
• ISBN13: 9781467147026
• Release Date: March 2021
• Publisher: History Press
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 8.9" x 5.8"