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By 1902 the trolley company had reached Laurel, about 15 miles from
Washington DC, and built this terminal at 6th and Main.
Sometime after trolley service ceased in 1925, the
building was rotated 90 degrees but it still serves customers: now it
houses Main Street Sports Grill.
Link to older pic:
Laurel Station ~1910
In the early 20th century, anticipating that few people would want
the newfangled invention called the automobile, the trolley company
made grand plans for an interurban line that would continue north to
connect with the Catonsville - Ellicott City trolley, which was
operated by an associated corporation.
Looking at old maps, and assuming a penchant for routing where the
towns were, my guess is the trolley would have continued to
parallel US 1 northeast out of Laurel to Savage, then to Waterloo
where it would turn more north to follow Waterloo Road (now MD 108),
turning northeast again to follow Columbia Turnpike (now US 29)
into downtown Ellicott City.
But by comparison to Prince George's County, Howard County to the north
was relatively deserted. The lack of demand plus the rise of the
automobile squelched extension plans. Instead, during the first half
of the 20th century, the trolleys were gradually shifted from private
to public holdings, and then supplanted by buses.
As the years passed, the end of the line retreated south from Laurel
to Beltsville to Branchville and, then finally in 1962, all streetcar
service in Washington, DC ceased. But, as this tour has shown,
their rights of way and other artifacts survive to the present in many
forms.
More trolley information:
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