That guy at the map fair in Cleveland made me flip on old railroad maps

I always thought old railroad maps were boring, just lines and station names. But a retired conductor at the fair spent 10 minutes showing me how the 1903 Baltimore and Ohio map I was ignoring actually showed towns that shifted after tracks got rerouted. He pointed out a place called Somerfield that vanished after a flood in the 1930s, and now I can't stop looking for those quiet details on maps. Any of you ever find a lost settlement hidden on a railroad map?

2 comments

2 Comments

hannah3859d ago

Oh come on, it's just an old map, not a history book. You're making it sound way deeper than it actually is.

sanchez.mary4d ago

Wait, you actually think that map doesn't mean anything? Go look at the original again. That compass rose has symbols that match old maritime trade codes from the 1700s, not just random decorations. A friend of mine who restores old documents pointed out the faded markings on the border - those aren't just wear and tear, they're actually tally marks for counting something. And the paper itself has water damage patterns that line up with descriptions of a specific shipwreck near the coast. You're telling me that's all coincidence?