Magnolia, West Virginia
| Magnolia | |
|---|---|
| Unincorporated community | |
 Magnolia
Magnolia
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| Coordinates: 39°33′42″N 78°25′37″W / 39.56167°N 78.42694°WCoordinates: 39°33′42″N 78°25′37″W / 39.56167°N 78.42694°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| County | Morgan |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| GNIS feature ID | 1555023 |
Magnolia is an unincorporated community hamlet northeast of Paw Paw in Morgan County in the U.S. state of West Virginia on the Potomac River. Magnolia is located along the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad mainline and east of where the Western Maryland Railway crosses the Potomac, bypassing a series of bends in the river. As a depot and water station on the B&O, Magnolia has been known by a number of names including Magnolia Dale, Magnolia Vale, and sometimes as Water Station Number 12 on the railroad.
The name Magnolia, as passed down from oral tradition, was a combination of Timothy Norton's two daughters Maggie and Nora. The addition of the names yielded Magnora and was modified to Magnolia. Timothy Norton was an early resident of the town and worked for the railroad. It is believed that the hamlet came into being because of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The railroad opened a line from Washington, D.C. to Cumberland, Maryland following the Potomac River in 1842. There were many servicing facilities along the right-of-way for steam engines. One of these facilities was Water Station Number 12 which later became Magnolia.
B&O Tower at Magnolia
Nearing completion of the B&O bridge across the Potomac
Construction of the Piers at Magnolia
During 1910 to 1914 Magnolia was one of two staging points for construction of the Magnolia Cutoff. The cutoff provided a surplus of jobs in the area which resulted in growth for this small town. The town of Magnolia lent its name to this new shorter route through the mountains. As may be seen in the pictures, the railroad scaled above the town of Magnolia, effectively cutting it off from the railroad. The low line route of the B&O was still used for passenger traffic and did so many years after the construction.
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