Pataspco
Patapsco lies on the northern side of the Maryland Midland Railway's tracks where they cross the Patapsco river at Sandymount Road, east of Reese. It is a beautifully scenic part of the river valley and sports a new gift shop which offers carriage rides in nice weather.
Patapsco was the scene of a particularly bad train wreck in 1905, which claimed 28 lives and was the talk of the area for many years to come. At the time, the wreck was listed as the worst experienced by the Western Maryland Railroad in the fifty years of its existence to that time. Apparently the freight train collided with the morning passenger train as it headed west from Baltimore. When the trains collided, the steam tanks of both engines were ruptured, scalding many of the passengers. Initial reports showed 26 killed and 12 wounded, though two of the wounded passengers later died of their injuries, bringing the total count to 28. The freight train had been on the siding at Gorsuch Road and it remains a mystery why it returned to the main line occupied by the passenger train. There was speculation that the freight train crew had been confused when the Blue Mountain Express went through the area earlier, mistaking the Express for the anticipated Baltimore passenger train which passed through every morning. Thinking that the way was clear, they may have moved the freight train back on to the main line, unfortunately right into the path of the Baltimore passenger train. No final answers could ever be determined however as the entire freight crew had perished in the wreck.
Early in its history, the Patapsco area provided the necessary wood and water for the steam trains that rolled through the river valley and the local store was suitably dubbed The Whistle Stop to note this, but in recent years the store has served as a gift shop. Early Patapsco also had mills, both saw and flour, that supported the locals, but these are long since closed. The main social activity for years in this little village has been centered around the social hall of the United Methodist Church, to the point that the local news media made popular the Wednesday luncheons and quilting bees that were taking place in the 60's and early 70's.
Hurricane Agnes swept through Patapsco in 1972 and the old Western Maryland tracks were ruined and the line was closed down for years until the Maryland Midland Railway bought it out and restored freight service through the area in the late 90's.
