East Roundhouse Destroyed by Arson

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. (May 14, 1990) - Firefighters battled a massive blaze here Monday that destroyed Roundhouse No. 2, also known as the East Roundhouse in Martinsburg.

The blaze was determined to have been caused by individuals who set fire to wood palettes stored in the building, which is owned by CSX Transportation.

As originally constructed in 1872, the East Roundhouse was an architectural "twin" of the West Roundhouse.

Construction of the East Roundhouse is underway. Circa 1870. Credit: Smithsonian Institution

"At Martinsburg, new engine house No. 2, 211 feet in diameter with pits for 16 engines, has been completed. A new sand house and turn table have also been built in connection with the above.

The expenditure on the above during the fiscal year has been $34,717.81," B&O stockholders were advised in the 1872 annual report by the president and directors of the railroad.

"Engine House No. 2" Seemingly Cursed from the Start

Engine House No. 2, which came to be known as the East Roundhouse, was seemingly cursed from the beginning with the building's roof inexplicably collapsing in 1873.

July 2, 1873 Report of East Roundhouse Roof Collapse by the Martinsburg Independent re-published by The Spirit of Jefferson, July 8, 1873

The structure was immediately re-built, with B&O Railroad stockholders advised in the 1875 Annual Report that the No. 2 Roundhouse had been re-built.

20th Century Aerial Image of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Martinsburg Shops

Roof rebuilt in 1927

Little more than 50 years later, the East Roundhouse underwent extensive renovation that fully changed the roofline of the building in the 1920s.

May 14, 1990: All is lost