Jasper County GaArchives News.....Bicentennial Bits - The Railroad Comes to Monticello 1970's
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Suzanne Forte suzanneforte@bellsouth.net July 2, 2004, 9:55 pm

Monticello News

BICENTENNIAL BITS

BY

JOHN HARVEY

"The Railroad Comes to Monticello"


	With the coming of the steamships to the rivers of American in 1793 the 
coastal cities began to compete for the crops coming in from the interior of 
the country. 

	Ships found it easy to operate from the coast to the heads of 
navigation, usually the fall line, along the east coast.  With the completion 
of the Charleston and Hamburg Railroad in South Carolina (Hamburg is now called 
North Augusta, S.C.), the Georgia Coastal cities found themselves competing 
with Charleston for the crops raise din the interior of Georgia. 

	Macon, founded and laid out in 1823 at the head of navigation on the 
Ocmulgee River, grew very rapidly as a cotton market for central Georgia.  
Jasper County farmers selling their cotton and other farm products to buyers in 
Macon would load them on huge wagons pulled by four to six mules to ship them 
to market.  A typical trip took three days if the roads were good. 

	The wagons would go from Monticello to the campground at Sand Creek in 
Jones County the first day.  After camping overnight they would continue into 
Macon the next morning where the crops would be sold and good and supplies 
would be bought.  Usually four to six mules or horses would be tied to the back 
of the wagons to be brought back for farm use.  They would return to the 
campground that night and proceed back to Monticello the next day. 

	ITWAS SOON realized that to compete with Charleston a railroad must be 
built from Macon into the counties to the north.  Realization of the need for a 
railroad did not bring it into being.  In 1885, E.C. Machen of New York, a 
railroad promoter, came to Macon where he began to actively promote a railroad 
to be built through the counties of Jones, Jasper and Newton to Covington.  
Mrs. Hannah S. Gould of the New York railroad family became interested and 
provided some financial support. 

	In June 1885, a charter was issued to the Covington and Macon Railroad 
Company.  Officers of the new railroad were:  E.C. Machen, president, B. W. 
Frobel, vice-president, and L. W. Robert, Sr., chief engineer. 

	The laying of rails reached Jasper County in May 1887, but some 
interesting things had happened shortly before.  Originally the railroad, 
roadbed had been laid through Jasper County from the Jones County line through 
Minneta (near Lake Lumber Co). along the ridge towards Covington. 

	This route would have completely bypassed Monticello.  Covington, 
already on the Georgia Railroad, did not show a very active interest in the new 
railroad and officials of the Georgia Railroad were not interested in sharing 
trackage rights with the new railroad.  So in February 1877 the stockholders 
were asked to vote a change that the board of directors of the road had already 
made, to extend the railroad to Madison and on to Athens instead.
	
	The rails reached Monticello in May 1887 and the arrival of the first 
train was a joyful occasion on June 2, 1887.  City and county officials and 
business leaders all journeyed out to Minneta and rode into town on the first 
train.  Flags were flown and speeches were made.  In December 188 the railroad 
was completed to Athens the distance from Macon to Athens being 106 miles.

	The C. and M. Railroad got into financial difficulties even before it 
had been completed.  In 1891 it went into receivership and the bond-holders 
took control of the company and re-organized it was the Macon and Northern 
Railroad with the Central of Georgia and the Richmond and Danville Railroads 
having an interest.  In 1896 the Macon and Northern Railroad became a part of 
the Central of Georgia. 

Another railroad, the Middle Georgia and Atlantic, was completed across the 
northern part of Jasper County in 1890 from Eatonton to Covington.  This 
railroad was also promoted b E. C. Machen. 

Sources:  A Short History of Jasper County, Georgia, 1970, by Harvey Powell
	 My Memories of Jasper County, by Mrs. Kate Thurman
	 Jasper County News - 1887


Additional Comments:
Transcribed by Suzanne Forte (suzanneforte@bellsouth.net) from copies of 
articles contained in the Monticello News. There articles were prepared by Mr. 
John Harvey and published in this newspaper during the 1970's time frame.  
Permission has been granted by Mr. Harvey for use of these very valuable and 
informative articles. 


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