The Glorious Past of the Buena Vista Spring Hotel

Time Traveler Mike Marotte III takes us back to the heyday of the Pen Mar Park where the horse-drawn trolley car that the Buena Vista Spring Hotel used to transport guests. This luxurious hotel was built in 1890 and could accommodate up to 500 guests. A special service offered by the hotel was a two-hitch horse-drawn trolley car that ran from the hotel to the Buena Vista Spring Railroad Station on the line of the Western Maryland Railroad during the early 1900s. This famous hotel was a popular attraction for many years but was destroyed by fire during the early morning of December 8, 1967. 

The Buena Vista Spring trolley car is waiting at the Western Maryland railroad station for the passengers to arrive. Left to right are trolly car operators Benjamin Benchoff and William Hovis and the station master, Eddie Dull and his father in 1910 and an unidentified youngster.

This broadside view of the old small horse-drawn trolley car was taken in 1912 sitting in front of the Buena Vista Spring Hotel. It was the “End of the Line” for this once very popular means of transportation on the mountain.

The horse-drawn trolley car is leaving the Buena Vista Spring Hotel. It is being followed by the horse drawn baggage wagon on the way to the Buena Vista Spring Railroad Station of the Western Maryland Railroad during the early 1900s.

The operator of the small trolley car can be seen taking the horses to the other end of the car in preparation of transporting the passengers from the railroad station to the Buena Vista Spring Hotel in 1910.