Keifer/B142.3

Keifer/B142.2



Keifer was the old location of the river crossing and later road to and from Paw Paw, WV. Thr road crossed the river from Paw Paw and a small town grew along the canal and railroad in Maryland. Keifer at one time even had a post office. Today only a house remains near the east end of Fairplay. The road was moved east to the 6th bridge sometime 1933-1934 and is now Md Rt. 51.




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Arthur Bloch photographed this old railroad crossing sign here at the old road crossing at Keifers. In May 1970, the time this photo was taken, this old sign still stood from the steam days. The road which became Md Rt. 51 once crossed the river here to Paw Paw. This crossing warning sign is most likely for that very early crossing when the railroad was built in 1906. Later a bridge was added and the road was relocated under the 6th Potomac Bridge in 1933 or 1934.

WM photo taken in 1917 of the Keifer Station/waiting shed. This same building would also be moved to the 6th Potomac bridge when the road was relocated there. (Thanks to Jim Coshun for photo)

Looking west on the WM roadbed at a house along the trail. This house was once owned by the Western Maryland and reffered to as a "Section House". A person on the railroad would live here and be incharge of this section of railroad. (April 2003)

I found WM's B142 milepost between these two trees. The second photo is looking east from the B142 milepost. A rocky cut made up mostly of shale is on the left while the C&O Canal is on the right. (April 2003)

Looking west from the western end of the large deep cut just west of the WM bridge over the C&O Canal. The trail here is hardy grown up at all. (April 2003)

This is a photo of the very deep cut just west of the 6th. Potomac River crossing and C&O Canal crossing near Paw Paw, WV. The WM cut through the mountain here and the C&O Canal went around. The WM rejoins the canal as is exits the cut. This cut can be seen on the left while crossing west into Maryland over the bridge on MD Rt. 51. (4/23/94)


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