Today in Wheeling History: June 4--The Artists' Excursion over the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad arrived in Wheeling and were welcomed by Mayor James Tanner (1858).
In 1858, William Prescott Smith, the master of transportation for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, organized a promotional event to attract publicity and tourists. He invited a group of around 50 artists, poets, journalists, and photographers to take a five day round trip excursion from Baltimore to Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia) on the B&O railroad from June 1-5, 1858. The group included well-known Hudson River School artists like Asher Durand, Louis Mignot, John Frederick Kensett, and James A. Suydam as well as poet William Whiteman Fosdick, New York Times founder Henry Jarvis Raymond, and photographer James Wallace Black, among others. They made stops along the way to draw, photograph, and document the journey. On June 4, the group arrived in Wheeling in the late afternoon and was welcomed by Wheeling Mayor James Tanner. They enjoyed dinner and drinks before departing back towards Baltimore at 11pm that same evening. The return eastbound trip was completed in just 16 hours, arriving in Baltimore on June 5, 1858.
To learn more: (http://tinyurl.com/tue8ec2h)
Photo Credits: Maryland Center for History and Culture
In 1858, William Prescott Smith, the master of transportation for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, organized a promotional event to attract publicity and tourists. He invited a group of around 50 artists, poets, journalists, and photographers to take a five day round trip excursion from Baltimore to Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia) on the B&O railroad from June 1-5, 1858. The group included well-known Hudson River School artists like Asher Durand, Louis Mignot, John Frederick Kensett, and James A. Suydam as well as poet William Whiteman Fosdick, New York Times founder Henry Jarvis Raymond, and photographer James Wallace Black, among others. They made stops along the way to draw, photograph, and document the journey. On June 4, the group arrived in Wheeling in the late afternoon and was welcomed by Wheeling Mayor James Tanner. They enjoyed dinner and drinks before departing back towards Baltimore at 11pm that same evening. The return eastbound trip was completed in just 16 hours, arriving in Baltimore on June 5, 1858.
To learn more: (http://tinyurl.com/tue8ec2h)
Photo Credits: Maryland Center for History and Culture
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