Gwynns Falls is a 24.9-mile-long (40.1 km) stream located in Baltimore County and Baltimore City , Maryland . Its headwaters are located in Reisterstown in Baltimore County, and the stream flows southeast, entering the city of Baltimore and emptying into the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River . The Patapsco drains into the Chesapeake Bay . The watershed area of Gwynns Falls covers 66 square miles (170 km ), with 133 miles (214 km) of streams.
10-560: The Carrollton Viaduct , located over the Gwynns Falls stream near Carroll Park in southwest Baltimore, Maryland , is the first stone masonry bridge for railroad use in the United States, built for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad , founded 1827, and one of the world's oldest railroad bridges still in use for rail traffic. Construction began in 1828 and was completed in 1829. The bridge
20-417: A waterfall , but its rough, rocky nature caused John Smith to comment on how the stream tumbled over "felles". This confusing local practice of using "falls" in the name of rocky streams was also applied to Baltimore's Jones Falls and Gunpowder Falls , which do not have waterfalls. During periods of high water conditions the stream can be whitewater kayaked , with the most challenging section running from
30-423: Is 51 feet 9 inches (15.8 m) above Gwynns Falls. It consists of a full-centered arch with a clear span length of 80 feet (24 m) over the stream, and a space for two railroad tracks on its deck. To provide an underpass for a wagon road, an arched passageway, 16 feet (5 m) in width, was built through one of the masonry-walled approaches. Originally planned as one arch of 40 feet (12 m) chord,
40-681: Is named in honor of Charles Carroll of Carrollton (1737–1832), of Maryland , known for being the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence , the only Roman Catholic in the Second Continental Congress (1775–1781), and wealthiest man in the Thirteen Colonies of the time of the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). In 1982 the viaduct was designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by
50-487: The American Society of Civil Engineers . The bridge is currently one of the world's oldest railroad bridges still in use for rail traffic, carrying loads far greater than originally envisioned. It was named after Charles Carroll of Carrollton (1737–1832), the last living signer of the Declaration of Independence and a director of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad , who laid the cornerstone on July 4, 1828. As he laid
60-469: The bridge bears the inscription "James Lloyd of Maryland, Builder A.D. 1829." Andrew Jackson , the first President of the United States to ride on a railroad train, crossed the bridge on a trip between Ellicott's Mills and Baltimore on June 6, 1833. The Carrollton Viaduct has provided continual service to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and its modern corporate successor, CSX Transportation . The viaduct
70-660: The dam in Dickeyville to the Washington Boulevard bridge crossing. This section is entirely within the city limits of Baltimore and runs under the historic Carrollton Viaduct . An unusual feature of the run is a point near U.S. Route 40 where a city water pipe main crosses about a foot above the water level; kayaking normally requires a portage around the pipe crossing. 39°16′42″N 76°39′40″W / 39.27833°N 76.66111°W / 39.27833; -76.66111 This Baltimore location article
80-479: The dimensions were enlarged to quiet the concern of the proprietor of the mills located immediately above the bridge site, who feared that 40 feet would be insufficient if the stream was flooded. The heavy granite blocks which form the arches and exterior walls were procured from Ellicott's Mills and Port Deposit . A temporary wooden framework supporting the central span held 1,500 tons (1,360 tonnes) of this stone during construction. A white cornerstone at one end of
90-594: The first stone he said, "I consider this among the most important acts of my life, second only to my signing the Declaration of Independence." Builder Caspar Wever and designer James Lloyd completed the structure for the railroad in November 1829, at an officially listed cost of $ 58,106.73 (equal to $ 1,662,579 today). The actual cost of the construction may have been as high as $ 100,000. The bridge, 312 feet (95 m) in length, rises from its foundations about 65 feet (20 m). It
100-494: Was designated a National Historic Landmark on November 11, 1971 and was administratively listed on the National Register of Historic Places the same day. In 1982 the viaduct was designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers . Gwynns Falls The stream was named for Richard Gwinn, who opened a trading post along it in 1669. Gwynns Falls does not actually have
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