In 2008,  the Brunswick Historical Press published a book titled  The Railroad Came!- and a ‘special’ community grew in Brunswick, MD. A non-fiction historical novel, it recounts life in Brunswick during the years 1891- 1910. This time period is very significant to Brunswick’s history- during that 20 year span, the building of a B&O Railyard in Brunswick  made the small town’s population grow from only a few hundred residents in 1890, to 5,000 by 1910.

This book is unique in that it’s historical retelling  does not just focus on big-picture events, highlighting the large details and leaving out the small. Instead,  writer Peter Maynard presents a glimpse into the life of real, working-class people who worked and lived in Brunswick in its early days In honor of the month of June, here are some events from this month in the past.

The Berlin Boom

A news story dated June 11th, 1890,  describes the state of the town when it was actively a ‘boomtown’. Described as the ‘New Town”, Brunswick had managed to amass 2000 residents. They were mostly laborers, italian immigrants  working on the railroad.

This article also describes the growing housing market observed in Brunswick at this time. The article describes this as a boom of ‘substantial character’, a statement qualified by announcing the completion of three new dwellings. It is notable that at this time,  Brunswick was the ‘largest’ and ‘most important’ town outside of  the city of Frederick.

News From June, 26th, 1890

This day marks the very first time that the “New Town” was referenced to by it’s (at the time) new name of Brunswick.

June 5th, 1891

In an unfortunate accident, the foot of a man by the name of John Dumford became caught in railroad machinery. As a result, his foot was mashed and had to be amputated.

June 12, 1891

This article describes a picturesque, pleasant outing in celebration of The Brunswick Hotel, a new construction at the time. They invited residents to a lawn party scheduled for later that month.

 June 3rd, 1892

An editorial was published this day, titled ‘A Wrong Impression’, in response to an article warning of death and danger resulting from the railroad work. Brunswick editors explain that the risks associated with railroad work are well-known, and “not as great as in some other lines of labor”.

If you would like to see more old Brunswick news, consider checking out The Railroad Came.