Cecil County, Maryland – later years PRR
Philadelphia, Baltimore & Wilmington Railroad
A check of a train schedule from 1900 shows the Principio stop between Perryville and Charlestown.
In 1887 , an article was written about George Whitaker, owner of the property on which the small Principio Train depot sat. According to the article, the agreement for the railroad having rights to pass through the property included that the train should stop if Mr. Whitaker wished to board the train to go somewhere. On the day in question, not only did Mr. Whitaker wish to take the train , after the train overshot the small depot platform, he stood there until the train backed up all the way back to Principio Depot, and would not walk up to where the train sat on the tracks. Mr. Whitaker was one of the wealthiest men living in Maryland at the time. The story was printed in local papers for years.
1893 had trains in Principio running an hour late due to snow drifts.
Principio is a few miles north of Perryville. 1902 saw heavy rain all but stop rail traffic in Principio. The break in the railroad lasted for a week before repairs could be made and the line opened up again .
When Principio Creek flooded over once a young boy ran up the tracks to Principio Station and telegraph ahead to stop all trains as the track had been washed out, preventing an accident. Hundreds of freight cars were backed up as a result of the wash out. That young boy grew up to be an engineer for the railroad in later years.
In 1907, a man was killed instantly after he was struck as a train went by.