January 1897 Railroad Hopes for Farmerville, Union Parish Louisiana Submitted by: T. D. Hudson Date of Submission: 29 April 2008 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ ================================================================================== ================================================================================== January 1897 Railroad Hopes for Farmerville, Union Parish Louisiana ================================================================================== ================================================================================== ================================================================================== ================================================================================== From the Farmerville "Gazette", issue dated Wednesday, 20 January 1897, page 3 ================================================================================== ================================================================================== The board of trade of Monroe has revived the question of building a railroad from El Dorado, Ark., to Monroe. A meeting off the business men and citizens was called to meet in the latter city on Jan. 18 for the purpose of discussing and taking under advisement the ways and means for building said road. Farmerville will gladly join hands with Monroe in trying to pull the southern extension of that road in this direction. Since the above was put in type a telephone message was received from Monroe, inviting a committee of citizens from Farmerville to attend a railroad meeting in Monroe Tuesday night. In response to that message Messrs. J. D. Everett, C. H. Jameson, W. P. Chandler and J. M. Smith left Tuesday about noon for the Parlor City. ================================================================================== ================================================================================== From the Farmerville "Gazette", issue dated Wednesday, 27 January 1897, page 3 ================================================================================== ================================================================================== NEW RAILROAD. ______ MONROE, FORT SMITH & NORTH-WESTERN CHARTERED. ______ Farmerville on the Route. ____ As a result of the railroad meeting held last week, the Monroe, Fort Smith & Northwestern Railroad Company has been chartered. The charter provides that the road shall run from Monroe, via FArmerville, to either Junction City or El Dorado and then proceed in a northwesterly course. The gentlemen at the head of this enterprise are leading and substantial citizens of Monroe and Farmerville, who realize that the future destiny of those two towns rest upon the building of a north and south road, connecting them with the markets of the great northwest. The energy and determination with which the promoters of the scheme have taken hold of the matter of itself bespeaks success. Several citizens of Monroe have promosed to subscribe $1000 each to the capital stock, and we feel sure that Farmervile will come up liberally in substantial assistance. The town council of Farmerville have already ordered an election for a five mill tax for ten years upon the taxable property in town and there is no doubt but what it will be voted by a large majority. Monroe will do the same thing. Committees were appointed in both citizes to secure donations in cash and lands and procure right of way, etc. The following gentlemen were chosen as a board of directors: D. W. Pipes, R. M. Filhiol, W. B. Reiley, L. D. McLain, J. P. Parker, F. P. Stubbs, Jr., J. M. Smith, J. D. Everett, Sol Meyer, E. Fudicker, C. G. Woodbridge and Moses Elder. The business men and property holders of both Monroe and Farmerville recognize the necessity of this proposed road, and in fact the masses of citizens in the two parishes of Ouachita and Union concede that great good and benefits would be derived by its early construction. The movement has been started and indications are indeed propitious for the building of the long looked for railroad. Let every body do his part and push the matter forward, and soon the iron horse, that prerequisite to progress and development, will be traversing our parish. ================================================================================== ================================================================================== NOTE: For some reason, the above-heralded plan to build a railroad through Farmerville never came to fruition. The railroad went through Junction City and western Union Parish. Farmerville did not get rail service until 1904. ##################################################################################