“Railroad Construction in Georgia”

Derek Denney

 

July 25, 2005

HIST 4000

Social History of Antebellum America

Summer 2005

 

                        My topic is Railroad Construction in Georgia.  The question I would want answered from my research and from the information that I have gathered is: was railroad construction in Georgia vitally important to the success of Georgia economically, and politically?  The answer: without a doubt yes!  Railroads in Georgia were extremely important for her growth as a state, and provided clout in national and regional debates concerning trade, economic growth, and economic stability.  Railroads brought Georgia to the country and the country to Georgia.  Without them the state would not be the same today.  I feel my research can add important aspects to our knowledge of railroad construction in Georgia through first hand accounts of success and failure, the technological side of railroads, and the economic power they provided for Georgia and the South.  

 

 

Secondary Sources

 

1.  Aldrich, Mark.  “Engineering Success and Disaster: American Railroad Bridges, 1840-1900.”  Journal of Railroad History 1999 (180): 31-72.

 

            I plan to use this source to highlight construction failures and shortcomings to due lack of funding and poor construction choices while building railroads.  Fortunately, government intervention was not far around the corner, and both industry and policy changes brought about improvements in safety and construction.  The Journal of Railroad History is currently unavailable from the University of Georgia.

 

2.  Caldwell, W. Wilber.  The Courthouse and the Depot: A Narrative Guide to Railroad Expansion and Its Impact on Public Architecture in Georgia 1833-1910.  Macon: Mercer University Press, 2001.

 

            I expect to use this source examine almost every courthouse and railroad depot in all of Georgia’s counties.  This source provides extensive information on construction, and the architecture of depots and courthouses instrumental to the development of cities and counties across Georgia before, during, and after the Civil War.  Reviewers respected the author for the amount of work that went into creating the book.  They said it is an excellent resource on the state of Georgia, and the author presents the embodiment of Southern ideology and heritage through each depot and courthouse.  Overall, reviewers thoroughly enjoyed the presentation, and shear volume of historical knowledge conveyed throughout the book.  This book can be found in the Gwinnett County Public Library collection.

 

3.  Chalker, Fussell.  “Irish Catholics in the Building of the Ocmulgee and Flint Railroad.”  Georgia Historical Quarterly 1970 54(4): 507-516.

 

            I expect to use this source to help shed light on the trials and tribulations of Thomas Spaulding and General Abbott Hall Brisbane in building the Ocmulgee and Flint Railroads.  Brisbane not only concentrated on building railroads, but also helped Irish Catholics emigrate from New York to Georgia, and got them jobs building the railroads of Georgia.  This journal article can be found on the 4th floor of the main library at the University of Georgia.

 

4.  Collins, Steven G.  “Progress and Slavery on the South’s Railroads.”  Journal of Railroad History 1999 (181): 6-25.

 

            I plan to use this source to show how Southerners felt the building of railroads helped advance economic development and provided for a corporate model to manage railroad companies.  However, Southerners were more willing to utilize slaves to help boost economic development than Northerners.  The Journal of Railroad History is currently unavailable from the University of Georgia.

 

5.  Dixon, Max.  “Building the Central Railroad of Georgia.”  Georgia Historical Quarterly 1961 45(1): 1-21.

 

            I expect to use this source for explaining the abundant problems associated with the construction of the Central Railroad of Georgia, which included engineering, labor, right-of-way, and finance. This journal article can be found on the 4th floor of the main library at the University of Georgia. 

 

6.  Pagel, Bonita S.  “The Hook and Eye: History of a North Georgia Railroad.”  Journal of the Georgia Association of Historians 1995 16: 161-174.

 

            I expect to use this source to focus on the communities of Pickens County, Georgia.  Most communities in Northern Georgia relied on railroads in order to spur commerce; therefore the railroads provided access for the rest of country to North Georgia’s abundant natural resources.  This journal article can be found on the 4th floor of the main library at the University of Georgia.    

 

7.      Pope, Mark Cooper III and McKee, J. Donald.  Mark Anthony Cooper: The Iron Man of Georgia.  Atlanta: Graphic Publishing Company, 2000.

 

I expect to use this source for much of the iron making and railroad bureaucracy aspects that occurred during Mark Anthony Cooper’s time.  This source provides excellent inside information for what it actually took both legislatively, and physically to start to build railroads in Georgia.  Reviewers felt this book portrayed insightful family history, which painted a great picture of Georgia history, too.  This book can be found at the Georgia Perimeter College library, Lawrenceville Campus.  

 

8.      Stover, John F.  The Routledge Historical Atlas of the American Railroads.  New York: Routledge, 1999.

 

I expect to use this source for much of the statistical information regarding the Georgia railroads and connecting railroads in the region during antebellum America.  Specifically, of great importance was the Charleston & Hamburg line, which would eventually merge to form the Southern Railway; made its first run in 1830.  This book can be found at the Georgia Perimeter College library, Lawrenceville Campus.     

 

9.  Weiman, David F.  Urban Growth on the Periphery of the Antebellum Cotton Belt: Atlanta, 1847-1860.  Journal of Economic History 1988 48(2): 259-272.

 

            I plan to use this source to highlight Atlanta’s role as a railway hub, but eventual decline until after the Civil War.  Sherman’s army did not help however neither did more prominent railroads built around and beyond the metropolis to be.  This journal article is located in full text at Jstor, and on the 5th floor of the main library at the University of Georgia.

 

10.  Winn, R. Les.  Ghost Trains & Depots of Georgia: (1833-1933).  Chamblee: Big Shanty Publishing Company, 1995.

 

            I expect to use this source for exploring the companies and their depots, which existed largely in the northern half of Georgia.  Some were successful, however most were not, and this graphic resource provides the insight into Georgia’s railroads inner-workings and its past.  This book can be found in the Gwinnett County Public library collection.

 

11.  Yanochik, Mark A., Thornton, Mark, and Ewing, Bradley T.  “Railroad Construction and Antebellum Slave Prices.”  Social Science Quarterly 2003 84(3): 723-737.

 

I plan to use this source to show that the construction of new railroads elevated the price of slaves by connecting more areas to agricultural manufacture, broadening the possibility to take advantage of the comparative advantages of slave labor, and fostering the demand for labor via the construction and maintenance of railroads.  Reviewers disagreed with the authors and felt that the increased investment in the production of cotton raised slave prices. This journal article can be found on the 5th floor of the main library at the University of Georgia.  

 

12.  Yanochik, Mark A., Thornton, Mark, and Ewing, Bradley T.  “Railroad Construction and Slave Prices: Rejoinder and Extension.”  Social Science Quarterly 2003 84(3): 744-749.

 

I plan to use this source to show that because the supply of slave labor was relatively inelastic, the somewhat small increase in demand for slave labor that resulted from railroad construction actually led to considerable increases in price.  This journal article can be found on the 5th floor of the main library at the University of Georgia.

 

 

Primary Sources

 

1.  Railroad Enterprises at the South.  Debow's review, Agricultural, commercial, industrial progress and resources. / Volume 3, Issue 6, June 1847, pp.559-564.  Making of America Journal Articles.

 

            I plan to use this source to examine the business aspects of running a railroad company in the South.  This source goes into great detail the success and failure of connecting the Southern states together and to the North.  Additionally, this source provides good statistics about the cost and construction of certain railroads throughout the South.  This journal article can be found on the Making of America – Michigan web-site.

 

2.  Railroad Progress in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Texas, East Tennessee.  Debow's review, Agricultural, commercial, industrial progress and resources. / Volume 18, Issue 3, Mar 1855, pp.398-404.  Making of America Journal Articles.

 

            I expect to use this source to help explain specific railroad construction successes in certain southern states, and to highlight company expenditures throughout the South.  This article also explains how railroads greatly increased land values, and brought business to towns and cities that did not exist before.  This journal article can be found on the Making of America – Michigan web-site.

 

3.  Vose, L. George.  “Handbook of railroad construction; for the use of American engineers.”  Making of America Books, page 506, published 1857.

 

            I plan to use this source to go into great detail of just how railroads are constructed, and how they should be constructed.  This book is an excellent first hand look at the engineering feat that railroads would become.  It contains charts, tables, and diagrams would illustrate key statistics and figures used for the construction of railroads.  It is truly the ultimate guide for an engineer to properly undertake construction and maintenance of railroads.  This book can be found on the Making of America – Michigan web-site.   

 

 

                        I imagine in order to do this research properly it would require an enormous amount of time, money, and effort to completely discover the roots of railroad construction in Georgia.  If I were to write a 10-page paper, research alone could take several months, and it would take another month and a half to write the paper.  It is a very deep and interesting topic and deserves an inordinate amount of time and effort to uncover important aspects, but also the little known aspects.