The Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad, affectionately known as the Ma & Pa, connected Baltimore and York on a narrow-gauge line that traced a meandering, scenic 77-mile route. In the days before modern highways and automobiles, it was an indispensable link between rural communities and the outside world. The village at Muddy Creek Forks sits along the railroad line. It is being preserved as an example of a typical railroad community in the steam-engine era. A project of the Maryland & Pennsylvania Railroad Preservation Authority, it depicts what it was like to live in the ‘Forks’ in 1915. Many buildings survive from that era. Work continues on restoration of the general store, post office, roller mill, grain elevator, farm buildings, creamery and a 1900 railroad station.

All photos © visitpadutchcountry.com