Letter: Preserve Stemmers Run Depot

This letter is to bring awareness to the abandoned depot on Old Orems road in Stemmers Run.

My wish is to see it put on the Maryland Historical Register, as well as being restored one day. Maybe not as a working depot, but possibly a small Amtrak Police Department or rest stop for their officers who patrol the Northeast Corridor and the two-mile-plus fence they erected.

Another idea would be to create a visitor center and viewing area for rail fans and their families to safely watch and photograph trains as they buzz up and down the corridor. Think of it as a tourism boost. The Baltimore County Library has a photograph of the Stemmers Run depot from the 1940's to give you a direction to go in.

This depot has created a lot of history since it was in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Not just for the town of Essex, but the surrounding areas as well. You would think, with all the railroad history we Marylanders have, our great governments should want to step in and bail out or help preserve what railroad infrastructures we have left.

It would be a real shame to lose this depot and many others like it, seeing as the railroads had a big hand in building this great country and state we share. The least we can do is preserve it for future generations of rail fans and history buffs to come. On a side note, I have created a Facebook page in honour of Stemmers Run Depot, with photographs and some history that I have found via the Internet. I'm always looking for more, so if you have photographs or any thing to add, please do.

Amtrak, local and state government, please preserve this piece of Maryland railroad history!

Steven McClelland

Essex

Got a letter to share with us? Email it to editor Tyler Waldman at tyler@patch.com.