Annapolis & Elk Ridge

Company History: Opened in 1840, the A&ER ran from Annapolis, Maryland to a connection with Baltimore & Ohio’s line from Washington to Baltimore. The spelling was later changed to Annapolis & Elkridge when the town made the same change. In 1861 the line was ransacked by pro-slavery citizens of Maryland. Union troops repaired the line under the command of General Benjamin Franklin Butler. The company never paid the interest on the initial investment and in 1886 it was re-organized as the Annapolis Washington & Baltimore Railroad. A very short segment in Annapolis Junction survives today to serve an aggregates company.

Brief History: The U.S. is a country of 50 states covering a vast swath of North America, with Alaska in the northwest and Hawaii extending the nation’s presence into the Pacific Ocean. Major Atlantic Coast cities are New York, a global finance and culture center, and capital Washington, DC. Midwestern metropolis Chicago is known for influential architecture and on the west coast, Los Angeles' Hollywood is famed for filmmaking.