- Charlotte and South Carolina Railroad
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The Charlotte and South Carolina Railroad began in 1852 and existed until 1869, when it was absorbed by Charlotte, Columbia and Augusta Railroad. The line ran from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Columbia, South Carolina, and was the first carrier to serve Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.[1]
Financed by Charlotte-area businessmen, the building of the Charlotte and South Carolina has been called the single most important event in Charlotte's economic history.[2] Construction began on the line in 1847. According to a 2001 article in the Rock Hill Herald, "The driving forces were the White and Springs families, prominent planters who realized a need for a better way to move the area's commerce."[3]
The line served as a vital railroad connection during the Civil War, and was damaged in the waning days of the conflict by General William T. Sherman's troops as they ravaged South Carolina.[4]
The line later played a critical part in the creation of Charlotte’s textile industry boom of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.[5]
In addition, the cities of Rock Hill, South Carolina, Fort Mill, South Carolina, and Pineville, North Carolina, were created as depots of the Charlotte and South Carolina Railroad in its early days.[6]
References
- ^ The Charlotte Museum of History, Charlotte's First Railroads
- ^ Charlotte Trolley, Trolleys in Charlotte
- ^ [Rock Hill Herald, Rock Hill's History Tied to Railroads, Tribe, September 30, 2001]
- ^ New York Times, Gen. Sherman's Campaign; A Review of the March Through the Carolinas, April 8, 1865
- ^ The Charlotte Museum of History, Charlotte's First Railroads
- ^ [Charlotte Observer, Nearby History: Names Origins of Local Towns, October 30, 1995]
Categories:- Defunct South Carolina railroads
- Defunct North Carolina railroads
- Predecessors of the Southern Railway (U.S.)
- Railway companies established in 1852
- Railway companies disestablished in 1869
- United States rail transportation stubs
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