Georgia Southern Railroad Company was incorporated under act of the

Georgia General Assembly The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each of the General Assembly's 236 members serve two-year terms and are directly ...

on March 2, 1875.ICC, ''Southern Ry. Co.'' valuation report, 1931, p. 213. The line of railroad of the Selma, Rome and Dalton Railroad Company in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

was sold in foreclosure on November 3, 1874 and conveyed to Georgia Southern Railroad Company on March 29, 1876. Georgia Southern Railroad Company was sold to

East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad The East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad (ETV&G) was a rail transport system that operated in the southeastern United States during the late 19th century. Created with the consolidation of the East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad and the ...

Company on November 6, 1880. Selma, Rome and Dalton Railroad Company was formed by the consolidation of Alabama and Tennessee River Rail Road Company (incorporated under act of Alabama, March 4, 1848), Georgia and Alabama Rail Road Company (incorporated under act of Georgia, February 18, 1854) and Dalton and Jacksonville Railroad Company (incorporated under act of Georgia as Dalton and Gadsden Railroad Company on February 18, 1854) on August 6, 1866. The consolidation agreement was ratified by the Georgia General Assembly on December 13, 1866 and by the

Alabama Legislature The Alabama Legislature is the legislative branch of the state government of Alabama. It is a bicameral body composed of the House of Representatives and Senate. It is one of the few state legislatures in which members of both chambers serv ...

on February 8, 1867. The consolidation occurred while Former Confederate General

Joseph E. Johnston Joseph Eggleston Johnston (February 3, 1807 – March 21, 1891) was an American career army officer, serving with distinction in the United States Army during the Mexican–American War (1846–1848) and the Seminole Wars. After Virginia secede ...

who had become president of the Alabama and Tennessee River Rail Road Company after the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. Johnston's tenure as president was from May 1866 to November 1867. Alabama and Tennessee River Railroad Company had constructed of railroad line between

Selma, Alabama Selma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, in the Black Belt region of south central Alabama and extending to the west. Located on the banks of the Alabama River, the city has a population of 17,971 as of the 2020 census. About ...

and

Blue Mountain, Alabama Anniston is the county seat of Calhoun County in Alabama and is one of two urban centers/principal cities of and included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 23,106. Acco ...

, including part of an extension of about of line from Blue Mountain toward Dalton, Georgia, in 1862.ICC, ''Southern Ry. Co.'' valuation report, 1931, p. 220. A. D. Breed operated the line under lease between May 31, 1866 and August 8, 1866 in accordance with a contract to rehabilitate the railroad line and construct the extension dated May 25, 1866.ICC, ''Southern Ry. Co.'' valuation report, 1931, p. 599. In 1868 the Selma, Rome and Dalton Railroad was the beneficiary of one of the first

convict leasing Convict leasing was a system of forced penal labor which was practiced historically in the Southern United States, the laborers being mainly African-American men; it was ended during the 20th century. (Convict labor in general continues; f ...

contracts in the state of Georgia. Selma, Rome and Dalton Railroad Company constructed or reconstructed of railroad line between

and

Dalton, Georgia Dalton is a city and the county seat of Whitfield County, Georgia, United States. It is also the principal city of the Dalton Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Murray and Whitfield counties. As of the 2010 census, the ci ...

in 1870. The rehabilitation of the property after the American Civil War and the construction of the extension of the line between Blue Mountain and Dalton was funded mainly by the sale of consolidated first-mortgage seven per cent bonds and second-mortgage seven per cent bonds. The railroad in

was sold in foreclosure on November 3, 1874 and conveyed to Georgia Southern Railroad Company on March 29, 1876. The Georgia Southern Railroad Company was sold to

Company on November 6, 1880. The railroad in

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was sold at foreclosure on June 14, 1880 and sold to East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad Company on February 5 and 11, 1881. East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad Company went into receivership on January 7, 1885, was sold in foreclosure on May 25, 1886, and conveyed to

East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railway The East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad (ETV&G) was a rail transport system that operated in the southeastern United States during the late 19th century. Created with the consolidation of the East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad and the ...

Company on June 30, 1886. The property eventually became part of Southern Railway Company on July 7, 1894, through its acquisition of the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railway Company.ICC, ''Southern Ry. Co.'' valuation report, 1931, pp. 212, 571.

References

* Interstate Commerce Commission. ''Southern Ry. Co.'', Volume 37, Interstate Commerce Commission Valuation Reports, November 6, 1931. Washington: United States Government Printing Office, 1932. . * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Georgia Southern Railroad Defunct Georgia (U.S. state) railroads Predecessors of the Southern Railway (U.S.) Railway companies established in 1875 Railway companies disestablished in 1880

See also

References