The Western Maryland Railway in West Virginia: The Photographs of G.H. Broadwater - Hardcover

Alan R. Clarke

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1891852507 ISBN 13: 9781891852503

Publisher: Quarrier Press, 2006

Synopsis

At the end of the 19th century, railroads entered the mountains of eastern and central West Virginia for the first time. This opened up vast areas of virgin forest to the lumberman. Later, valuable coalfields were discovered beneath the forests. The development of the region was in full swing by the first decades of the 20th century. G. H. Broadwater, a photographer from Thomas, West Virginia, traveled the Western Maryland Railway and the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in state between 1906 and 1912, taking over 2,000 photos of these budding industries, workers and developing towns. Broadwater s photographs give vivid insight into the early development of West Virginia s industries and a fascinating period in the states history.

About this title

About the Author:

Alan R. Clarke was born in Wolverhampton, England on July 14, 1938. His father had started his career as an apprentice on the London, Midland and Scottish Railway but lost his job during the Depression of the 1930 s. However, a love for railroads and steam engines remained with the family. Clarke attended the Royal Technical College, Salford, and the University of Sheffield, both in England, before coming to the U. S. in 1966. Because of an airline strike at the time, his first exposure to American railroads was traveling from New York to Washington on the Pennsylvania Railroad and then on to Grafton, West Virginia, on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Clarke taught chemistry at Salem College from 1966 to 1978. During this time he developed an interest in the photography of bridges, which later became focused on stone bridges. This led to the discovery of the Coal and Coke Railway in West Virginia and a fascination with the railroad, which ultimately led to a book on its history. Clarke moved to Northern Virginia Community College in 1978 but continued his interest in West Virginia s railroads, particularly the West Virginia Central and Pittsburg Railway. This had been built by Henry Gassaway Davis before he built the Coal and Coke. The West Virginia Central became part of the Western Maryland Railroad in 1905. While working on a book on the West Virginia Central, Clarke became interested in the photographs of G. H. Broadwater, who photographed the Western Maryland Railway in West Virginia from about 1905 to 1912. Broadwater took over 2.000 photographs of the W. Md., showing the mines, mills, logging railroads, and towns along its path. Broadwater also photographed portions of the B. & O. in West Virginia and adjacent areas of Maryland. Broadwater s photographs were sold as post cards at the time and now have become valuable collectors items. It is a fraction of this remarkable body of work that Clarke has brought together in his latest book, The Western Maryland Railway in West Virginia-A Photographer s Odyssey. The Photographs of G. H. Broadwater.

About this edition

• Publisher: Quarrier Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1891852507
• ISBN 13: 9781891852503
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 176