Brunswick...
Was little more than a farming community known as Berlin in the early 19th century. In 1834, after the famed land battle between the C&O Canal and B&O Railroad at nearby Point of Rocks was concluded, both companies passed through town. While the railroad only left a small whistle-stop depot and a pair of tracks, the Canal provided industry and transportation access to local farmers and business owners. The small community became a canal town, with warehouses, shops, and more residents.
In 1890 everything changed. Farmland between the canal and the north hills of the Potomac Valley here was purchased by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and a 2 1/2 mile railroad yard was constructed just east of the town. With the new 1800 car freight yard and engine shops the population rose from around 400 to over 2000 almost overnight. Homes and businesses slowly began moving away from the railroad tracks and up onto the hillside, and the community was officially incorporated under its new name, Brunswick.
In 1907, with the success of the yard, the Railroad purchased 3 1/2 miles more land to the west of town. Now able to hold over 5000 train cars, the Brunswick Rail Yard was called the largest in the nation owned by a single railroad company in its day, and more than doubled the population of the town to over 5000 residents. New shops and fraternal organizations arrived within these first two decades, and many of the historic structures in Downtown were built.
The YMCA
It was with the multi-million dollar expansion
of the rail yard that the YMCA was brought to town. Brunswick served as a terminal; trains came and left their cars in the yard where they were split up by destination for a new locomotive and crew to take. This post-office-like system was a 24 hour a day, 7 day a week process. The railroad wanted crews both well rested and ready on-hand once their train was ready, and if they did not live in town, they needed somewhere to stay. The YMCA originally offered 40 dormitories, later expanded to 72. A railroad structure, crew members simply needed an annual membership and a small fee and a room was provided for the night. In-house entertainment included a 2 lane bowling alley, pool hall, and restaurant. A quick shave or trim could be aquired at the barber shop just off the lobby. On Sunday Mornings all were welcome to a service in the chapel, and any time of the week, day or night, a good meal was to be had in the restaurant diner in the west wing. And as for laundry, the Brunswick YMCA was the first to install an automated washing system in 1927!
For local employees and yard workers, the YMCA provided amenities as well. It successfully operated both the town team in the regional baseball league, as well as its own inner-town league between yard and operating divisions of the railroad, the forerunner of today's expansive little league and Babe Ruth programs! What is now the City Pool beside Brunswick High School was once the YMCA Pool, located beside the YMCA's E.W. Shear Baseball Stadium, the best stadium in the Frederick & Washington
County League! A trap shooting range was also provided, and effort was made to attempt a bathing beach along the Potomac River. An annex to the building also served as the town hospital for many years.
In 1965, Brunswick celebrated its 75th Anniversary with a 2 week festival known as the Diamond Jubilee. The new high school was dedicated beside the ill fated Sheer Stadium, railroad and town history were introduced to many for the first time, and the B&O Railroad constructed and presented to Brunswick a memorial in honor of its importance to the success of the Railroad. The "Bell Memorial" stood beside the YMCA, a foreground for the public view of the railroad yards and roundhouse complex.
For 73 years the YMCA was one of the most stunning and influential structures of the Downtown area, also doubling as a town meeting hall and the public library. However on the night of November 7, 1980, disaster struck. An electrical spark in the basement ignited wall insulation and after an inferno which 13 fire companies battled into the morning, all that was left of the massive structure was a partially collapsed and smoldering shell. The loss of the YMCA seemed to seal the fate of the downtown economy, which has been declining since. Many were glad to see the building gone as it was notorious for small, hot rooms in later years, but for the majority it is missed, and downtown Brunswick seems more empty without it.
In 1986, a new YMCA was built at the northeast corner of town, now known as Green Country Inn, where railroaders still recieve a nights stay, members of the community still hold meetings, and a meal is available any time of day or night. But it was never sthe same. A year later in 1987 the Car Shop and West end yard (Aka the Eastbound Yard) were removed and their employees relocated or liquidated. In 1988 the East End (Westbound) Yard was reconfigured and modernized further reducing the railroad's need for local employees. Brunswick had been becoming a bedroom commuter community since the 1950s, and what last vestiges of a company town died with the historic railroad yards. Other structures have been lost over the years, perhaps only the loss of the Roundhouse in 1995 being more heartbreaking and damaging to the historic image of the town than the loss of the "Y"
Today the roundhouse turntable, brick foundation of the "Y", the lone Bell Memorial, and the constant train traffic serve testament to what once was an impressive industrial complex and community center. Railroad View Park would pay homage to these and other structures, preserving their memory and enlightening visitors to their importance to town and even national development.
(YMCA Color photo from http://www.thebluecomet.com, B&W fire photo as credited. All other content copyrighted)
