(County map with railroads, 1890s - Detail from Railroad Map of North Carolina, 1900, examined and authorized by the North Carolina Corporation Commission.  Library of Congress, Geography and Maps Division.)

Charlotte's Competing Railroad Lines

On the eve of the Civil War, Charlotte was served by three railroad lines.  The Charlotte & South Carolina Railroad connected Charlotte with the important Charleston market and the North Carolina Railroad provided links to the markets of Virginia.  The third line, the Atlantic, Tennessee & Ohio Railroad, connected Charlotte with the town of Statesville in Iredell County and operated as a feeder line for western produce.  Construction halted on the fourth line, the Wilmington, Charlotte & Rutherfordton Railroad, when the Civil War erupted.  Charlotte's railroads performed an important function during the war, moving supplies and soldiers to and from Virginia.  After the war, town leaders continued to push for additional lines.  The Wilmington, Charlotte & Rutherfordton, which became the Carolina Central Railroad, began operation in 1872.  A new line also ran from the burgeoning city of Atlanta, Georgia through Charlotte north to Richmond, Virginia.  The Atlanta & Charlotte Airline, completed in 1873, provided Charlotte with lines running in six directions, giving the town superior connections to several sea ports, as well as northern and western markets.  The competitive railway lines continued to aid in the city of Charlotte's growth and development as investors, businessmen, and industrialists opened cotton mills along the tracks.

 

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