From www.pointofrocksagainstpowerplants.com:
Our beautiful Victorian train station was built in 1871 and was also added to the National Registry of Historic Places in 1973. The tracks south towards Washington, D.C. weren’t built until after the end of the Civil War (which ended in April of 1865). Before that time, the tracks stopped here in Point of Rocks. In 1861, Colonel (later General) Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson convinced the B&O Railroad to conentrate it’s coal shipments heading East to a specific time. He was then able to capture 56 locomotives and more than 300 cars by stopping all train traffic headed East at Point of Rocks.
1 - the station was not build in 1871. The Metropolitan Railroad was not even completed as far as Point of Rocks and opened in 1873, at which time a small depot could have been built at the opening, but the only stop at that beginning was at the old town village of Point of Rocks (1/3 mile to the west of the junction).
When the depot/station stop was made at this location - it was named "Washington Junction," since the B&O Railroad now wanted to concentrate most of the traffic directly to Washington, DC on the new Metropolitan Line - off the Old Main Line going to Baltimore. At the time of the opening of the new line to Washington, the area around this location was undeveloped land outside of the village.
The exact date of the original back portion of the current station is not known, but earlies would expected to be 1873. The exact date of the iconic front tower portion is sometime on or after 1875. The records of the B&O Railroad and the architect E. Francis Baldwin offices were destroyed in the Great Fire in Baltimore, MD in 1904. Research in 2012, continues to find original documentation for the exact constructions dates.
The Metropolitan Railroad from Point of Rocks to Washington, DC, was first conceived before the Civil War, but construction didn't start until 1869.
The tracks did NOT stop in Point of rocks until after the Civil War.
The B&O Railroad's Main Line was constructed to Point of Rocks (close to the mountain in the old town village) in April 1832. There is stopped until December 1834, when the railroad was opened to Harper's Ferry, where is again stopped as the western terminus of the B&O until 1842 when the railroad was opened to Martinsburg. Finance struggles, riots, colera epidemics, politics, C&O Canal conflicts, and exactly where to construct the railroad to Cumberland - all contributed to the delay.
In 1861, "Stonewall" Jackson did orchestrate the Great Train Raid, but the railroad was only blocked at The Point of Rocks, along with Martinsburg - with most at Harpers Ferry and burnt all but 14 locomotives and tenders. The big action at Point of Rocks was the blowing up of the large boulder hanging over the railroad tracks - Bollman's Rock.
just wanted to set it straight.