William and Henry Walters

Railroads were the first big business enterprises in America, and they made possible many other industries. They knitted our expansive nation together and have ably transported people, goods, materials, supplies, express items, and mail. Literally, hundreds of railroads, if not more, were built in the United States during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Among the more important was the fabled Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, which, by 1931, owned, controlled, or operated over 14,000 miles of transportation lines. The founders of this extraordinary firm were William and Henry Walters, father and son. Both are today largely remembered for their achievements in collecting works of art and establishing a world-class museum in Baltimore. But equally significant were their extraordinary efforts in founding and building up one of the great railway systems in America. Climb aboard for a special journey into this unique chapter of American railroad history!