On Lemmon Street in Baltimore, the museum known for its account of Irish railroad workers tells the B&O story from a family’s home. The organization now uses Irish American Museum on its visitor information. Its setting in small houses near the railroad’s Mount Clare complex puts domestic life close to the industrial work that helped support it. A visit begins with the neighborhood’s connection to the railroad and continues through the surviving houses and their interpretation.
James Feeley worked for the Baltimore & Ohio nearby. Sarah Feeley managed the household and also earned money washing clothes. The two occupations make a revealing pairing. The job at the railroad links the family to a major transportation business, while Sarah’s paid work and domestic responsibilities show how much a worker’s household depended on labor outside the railroad’s payroll. Their story gives visitors particular people to follow through a district shaped by immigration and employment.
The scale of the houses matters. A kitchen, a stair or a room shared by family members can say more about daily life than a list of railway milestones. As you explore the interpretation, consider how the household’s spaces accommodated work as well as family life. The museum places those rooms in a wider neighborhood of churches, markets and streets. Its mural and tour bring the surrounding community into the account alongside the furnished domestic setting.
The nearby railroad museum and the Lemmon Street houses can make an illuminating pair. Mount Clare preserves equipment and facilities associated with the B&O’s growth. The houses recover the lives of people who lived within walking distance of the work. The short physical distance between the two sites helps explain the relationship. Consult the museum’s current tour calendar, which includes occasional closures for events. A docent can help connect the Feeley family’s experience with the changes that affected other immigrant households in the neighborhood.
Visitor information
Researched November 2026.
Sources
More railroad museums in Maryland
- National Museum of Railroad History & Innovation (formerly B&O Railroad Museum) — Baltimore: Major railroad museum
- B&O Ellicott City Station Museum — Ellicott City: Historic station and railroad museum
- Bowie Railroad Museum — Bowie: Depot and railroad history museum
- La Plata Train Station Museum — La Plata: Depot and local railroad museum
- Oakland B&O Railroad Museum — Oakland: Depot and railroad history museum
- Queponco Railway Station Museum — Newark: Historic depot and railroad collection
- Walkersville Southern Railroad Museum — Walkersville: Railroad museum and operating collection
- Western Maryland Railway Historical Society Museum — Union Bridge: Railroad museum and archival collection
- All 9 railroad museums and sites in Maryland
Keep exploring
- All heritage sites — museums, stations and landmarks
- Northeast — the trains you can ride in the region