Baltimore's Irish and the Building of the First Railroad

Inside the dome of Baltimore's City Hall, listed as one of the most beautiful City Halls in North America

Today i attended the fourth of a series of lectures, It's More Than History, in City Hall in Baltimore. Luke F. McCusker, the Managing Director of the Irish Railroad Workers' Museum, delivered the presentation.

It's More Than History March Lecture Series

IN 1827 Baltimore was America’s third largest city and had enjoyed dominating the East Coast's shipping and transportation for decades. But the city domination was slipping -- what was city leadership to do? Build the nation's first railroad! Why were the Irish the right workforce to make this crazy plan work in a city dominated by African American labor?
​McCusker explained this and more as he shared an overview of the key historical figures, the Irish immigration, the challenges of this new population in our country, and the reasons for the shift from travel by canals to the construction of the railroad.