After the Civil War, the abolition of slavery changed labor practices and led to the subdivision of tobacco plantations such as the 108-acre Collington Meadows. Around 1877, R.C. Duval built a general store and post office on part of the former plantation. It served Hall Station, a crossroads community that developed after the 1873 completion of the Popes Creek branch of the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad, which provided access to markets, education, and entertainment in Baltimore and Washington.