Railroad and Canal

The Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal was constructed on the west bank of the Susquehanna river and was completed in 1839. It was superceded by the area's first railroad -- the Peach Bottom Railway. The Peach Bottom Railway was originally built from York, PA, to Delta, reaching Delta in April of 1876. Its main purpose was to haul the valuable Peach Bottom slate out to all the major metropolitan areas of its day. In 1884, the Maryland Central Railroad was completed from Baltimore to Delta, mainly for the same purpose. These two railroads changed ownership and names over the years, eventually merging in 1901 into the famous Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad (the "Ma and Pa").