Washington, Spa Spring & Gretta Railroad

Washington, Spa Spring & Gretta Railroad (HM1SLP)

Location: Berwyn Heights, MD 20740 Prince George's County
Buy Maryland State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 38° 59.431', W 76° 54.962'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 673 views
Inscription
The Washington Spa Spring & Gretta Railroad (WSSGRR) was a streetcar that served Berwyn Heights, 1912 - 1921. Incorporated in Maryland in 1905, WSSGRR started running from 15th and H Street, NE to Bladensburg in 1910. An extension to Riverdale and Berwyn Heights opened in 1912, using novel Edison-Beach storage battery cars.

Congressman Samuel S. Yoder invested and lost a fortune building the streetcar line, which was to spur development in Berwyn Heights, where Yoder had started buying land in late 1905. The battery-powered cars had trouble climbing "The Heights" to the terminus at 58th Avenue and Berwyn Road. WSSGRR patrons filed complaints and lawsuits because the streetcar routinely failed to carry them to their destinations past Bladensburg.

WSSGRR had difficulty becoming economically viable, as the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and the Washington Railway & Electric Company (WRECO) served the same territory. Renamed Washington Interurban Railway in October 1912, the company foreclosed in 1915, and was purchased by WRECO in 1916. The service remained substandard and buses replaced the trolleys on the extension in 1921, and on the main trunk in 1923.
Details
HM NumberHM1SLP
Year Placed1915
Placed ByBerwyn Heights Historical Committee
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Tuesday, June 14th, 2016 at 9:02pm PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 334058 N 4317470
Decimal Degrees38.99051667, -76.91603333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 38° 59.431', W 76° 54.962'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds38° 59' 25.86" N, 76° 54' 57.72" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)301, 240, 703, 202
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling East
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 5719 Berwyn Rd, Berwyn Heights MD 20740, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Nearby Markersshow on map
Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. This markers needs some tags to help categorize the marker
  3. What historical period does the marker represent?
  4. What historical place does the marker represent?
  5. What type of marker is it?
  6. What class is the marker?
  7. What style is the marker?
  8. Does the marker have a number?
  9. This marker needs at least one picture.
  10. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  11. Is the marker in the median?
© 2024  Historical Marker Project.  All Rights Reserved.
All registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
HMP is owned and operated by 3RiverDev (Fort Wayne, Indiana).
Terms and Conditions   |   Privacy Policy   |   Disclaimers   |   About   |   Contact Us