Route of the first telegraph message (1844)
@chriswhong
Make your own map →#30DayMapChallenge · Day 11: Sound
On May 24, 1844, Samuel Morse sent the first official telegraph message, “What hath God wrought”, from the U.S. Capitol to Alfred Vail at the B&O's Mt. Clare Depot in Baltimore. The 38-mile wire, built with $30,000 from Congress, ran along the railroad's right of way.
Sources
- Electrical telegraph, Wikipedia: the date, the message, and the Capitol-to-Mt. Clare route
- Baltimore–Washington telegraph line, Wikipedia: the $30,000 appropriation, the B&O right of way, the chestnut poles, the May 1 Henry Clay test, and the Old Supreme Court Chamber
- The First Telegraph Line (1844), historical marker in Bladensburg (HMdb): the route through Bladensburg and the test near Riversdale
- History of the B&O Telegraph Company, Western Electrician: the depot and Supreme Court chamber endpoints, and the cable laid to Relay
- Telegraph Systems, via myinsulators.com: progress to Bladensburg by mid-April 1844
- A Summary of B&O History, B&O Railroad Historical Society: the Washington Branch, Relay, and the Thomas Viaduct
The route geometry modified from data for the MARC Camden Line (the old Washington Branch) and the Old Main Line. mdgeodata.md.gov