Roundhouses and Shops / Railro

<b>Roundhouses and Shops.</b> The B&O Railroad reached Martinsburg in 1842, and by 1849, a roundhouse and shops were built. These first buildings were burned by Confederate troops in 1862. The present west roundhouse and the two shops were built in 1866. The east roundhouse was built in 1872. These buildings represent one of the last remaining examples of American industrial railroad architecture still intact and in use. These structures serve as important reminders of the status of the railroad in the mid-19th century and the role it played in the economic development of Martinsburg, the county, and the state. <br><br> <b>Railroad Strike of 1877.</b> On July 16. 1877, workers of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad went on strike and closed this railroad yard to protest a cut in wages. Their action sparked the largest nationwide strike the country had seen. Extensive damage was done to company property at Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Wheeling, and over 50 workers were killed before the strike was crushed. Federal troops were used for the first time in a labor dispute. As the country’s first general strike, it focused national attention on labors grievances and made workers aware of the power of collective action.