Annapolis Junctionville and Centralia

Annapolis Junction: The Ghost Cities of Centralia and Junctionville

A Planned Town at a Railroad Crossroads

In the years following the Civil War, Annapolis Junction was promoted as a location of unusual advantage, situated between Baltimore, Washington, and Annapolis. This perceived “central position” formed the basis for a coordinated effort to establish a town on both sides of the railroad.

The proposed development was not informal. It was surveyed, marketed, and supported by organized land sales.

Centralia: A Planned Community

On June 18, 1866, a major auction was held for the sale of building lots in a newly platted town called Centralia on the Anne Arundel County side of the tracks.

To demonstrate accessibility, excursion trains ran simultaneously from Baltimore, Washington, and Annapolis. Contemporary accounts report:

• Approximately 3,000 attendees

• Trains of 8–10 cars from each city

• 105 lots sold in a single afternoon

• Prices ranging from $75 to $165

The town was laid out with a formal street grid, including Broadway, Washington Street, Market Space, and Fayette Street, reflecting a planned urban design.

Junctionville and the Western Development

A corresponding development effort took place across the railroad in Howard County. An 1867 land record refers to:

“Centralia and United Cities Cottage Sites and Annapolis Junctionville.”

By 1871, Simon Parkhurst had consolidated key parcels on the Howard County side, including the Howard House hotel and adjacent acreage, suggesting an effort to establish a complementary settlement.

Unlike Centralia, this western development remained largely conceptual, with little evidence of physical realization beyond existing improvements.

Railroad Geography and Declining Importance

The viability of these developments depended on Annapolis Junction serving as a transfer point between the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and the Annapolis line.

In the early 1870s, this advantage was reduced by the construction of the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad, part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system, which established a new connection at Odenton. This created an alternative route and diminished the Junction’s importance as a transfer location.

Later developments, including the Baltimore & Annapolis Short Line, further altered regional travel patterns.

Economic Disruption and Collapse

The Panic of 1873 curtailed speculative investment, and the impact is visible in the record.

• In May 1875, a fire destroyed the Annapolis & Elk Ridge station building

• By 1875–1876, Parkhurst properties were being offered for sale

• By 1876, those properties entered mortgage liquidation

These events mark the transition from coordinated development to the breakup and sale of individual parcels.

Aftermath

By the late 19th century, references to Centralia and Junctionville decline significantly. The planned town was never fully realized.

Today, only partial traces remain. The street grid of Centralia can still be detected in modern alignments, while the Howard County portion shows little physical evidence of development.

Conclusion

The history of Centralia and Junctionville illustrates how speculative development depended on stable transportation patterns. Annapolis Junction initially appeared to offer a lasting advantage, but changes in railroad routing reduced its importance.

Without that advantage, the basis for development weakened, and the planned town did not materialize.

Annapolis Junction remained, as it had begun, a place defined by transportation rather than settlement.