The Board Tree Tunnel, near
Littleton, West Virginia, was built between 1851 and 1858 by the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...
on its main line between Baltimore, Maryland, and Wheeling, West Virginia, under the supervision of B&O chief engineer
Benjamin Henry Latrobe, II
Benjamin Henry Latrobe II (December 19, 1806 – October 19, 1878) was an American civil engineer, best known for his railway bridges, and a railway executive.
Personal life
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on December 19, 1806, he was th ...
. The
tunnel used a segmental cast iron lining system pioneered on the contemporaneous
Kingwood Tunnel
The Kingwood Tunnel, near Tunnelton, West Virginia, was built between 1849 and 1852 by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad on its main line between Baltimore, Maryland and Wheeling, West Virginia, under the supervision of B&O chief engineer Benjamin H ...
on the same line.
Workers were recruited from coal mines in the area to excavate the tunnel. The tunneling operations used
black powder
Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). Th ...
as explosive. About 30 deaths and 300 injuries occurred in the excavation of the Board Tree and Kingwood tunnels. The tunnel is now abandoned.
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See also
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References
External links
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Baltimore and Ohio Railroad tunnels
Buildings and structures in Marshall County, West Virginia
Historic American Engineering Record in West Virginia
Tunnels completed in 1858
Railroad tunnels in West Virginia