Western North-Carolina Railroad Company was incorporated under act of
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
on February 15, 1855.Interstate Commerce Commission. ''Southern Ry. Co.'', Volume 37, Interstate Commerce Commission Valuation Reports, November 6, 1931, p. 215. Washington: United States Government Printing Office, 1932. . Western North Carolina Railroad Company went through several slight changes in name and reorganizations before being sold at foreclosure on August 21, 1894, and conveyed to Southern Railway (U.S.) on August 22, 1894.
Future
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...
officer
Samuel McDowell Tate
Samuel McDowell Tate (1830–1897) was an American businessman from Virginia, and a lieutenant colonel in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.
Early life
Samuel McDowell Tate, eldest son and child of David and Susan M. ...
was instrumental in planning and sponsoring the construction of the first leg of the railroad in 1855, then in managing it in the era after the American Civil War.
The state of North Carolina helped finance, build, and operate the new railroad through subscription to $1.4 million of the $2.1 million in capital stock, which was paid for through the issuance of state bonds.ICC, ''Southern Ry. Co.'' valuation report, 1931, p. 643.
The company constructed of gauge railroad line between
Salisbury, North Carolina
Salisbury is a city in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, United States; it has been the county seat of Rowan County since 1753 when its territory extended to the Mississippi River. Located northeast of Charlotte and within its metropolita ...
, and a point near
Morganton, North Carolina
Morganton is a city in and the county seat of Burke County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 16,918 at the 2010 census. Morganton is approximately northwest of Charlotte.
Morganton is one of the principal cities in the Hick ...
, between 1858 and 1863.ICC, ''Southern Ry. Co.'' valuation report, 1931, p. 223. The Western North Carolina Railroad was halted because of resistance from voters. Voters were angry about that law allowed purchasers of private bonds, that paid one third of the cost, to have the trains veer to their towns. The provision of the laws that allowed this was not repealed until Reconstruction, after the Civil War.Charles F. Fisher, later Colonel commanding the
6th North Carolina Regiment
The 6th North Carolina Regiment was one of ten regiments of the North Carolina Line of the Continental Army that fought in the American Revolution.
History
The 6th North Carolina Regiment existed as a Continental Army unit from North Carolina f ...
, who was killed leading a charge on a Union Army battery at the First Battle of Bull Run, had the initial contract to construct the line.
Western North Carolina Railroad Company's charter was amended by act of North Carolina, August 19, 1868, which divided the company's property between Western North Carolina Rail Road Company - Eastern Division and Western North Carolina Rail Road Company - Western Division. Western North Carolina Rail Road Company - Eastern Division acquired the existing of railroad line.ICC, ''Southern Ry. Co.'' valuation report, 1931, p. 642. Western North Carolina Rail Road Company - Western Division acquired the franchise to build a railroad line from the French Broad River to
Paint Rock, Alabama
Paint Rock is a town in Jackson County, Alabama, United States, along the Paint Rock River, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. It was incorporated in July 1894.Ducktown, Tennessee, but did not complete construction of any part of the proposed railroad line.
Western North Carolina Rail Road Company - Eastern Division constructed of railroad line between a point near
Morganton, North Carolina
Morganton is a city in and the county seat of Burke County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 16,918 at the 2010 census. Morganton is approximately northwest of Charlotte.
Morganton is one of the principal cities in the Hick ...
, and Old Fort, North Carolina, in 1869.ICC, ''Southern Ry. Co.'' valuation report, 1931, p. 222. Five-hundred
African Americans
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
were assigned to provide back breaking labor through Convict lease which was a near continuation of slavery as charges were often only applied to people of African descent. Men were shipped to and from the worksite in iron shackles.
Western North Carolina Rail Road Company - Eastern Division was sold at foreclosure, June 22, 1875, and conveyed to the state of North Carolina, August 3, 1875. Western North Carolina Rail Road Company - Western Division was sold in settlement of a judgment, July 8, 1872. After several changes in title, Western North Carolina Rail Road Company - Western Division was acquired by the state of North Carolina on April 17, 1875. Western North Carolina Rail Road Company - Western Division was consolidated with Western North Carolina Railroad Company - Eastern Division to form Western North Carolina Railroad Company (No. 2), which had been incorporated March 3, 1873 in anticipation of the sale of the property of the Western North Carolina Railroad Company - Eastern Division.ICC, ''Southern Ry. Co.'' valuation report, 1931, p. 641. Three-fourths of the capital stock was held by the state of North Carolina and one-fourth was held by private stockholders.
Western North Carolina Railroad Company (No. 2) constructed of railroad line between Old Fort, North Carolina and
Azalea, North Carolina
Azalea is a populated place located within the city of Asheville, North Carolina in Buncombe County, North Carolina, Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States.
Geography
Azalea is located at latitude 35.58 and longitude -82.471. The elevat ...
in 1879.Azalea is a populated place located in Buncombe County, North Carolina, just east of Asheville, North Carolina, at latitude 35.58 and longitude -82.471. This included the 1,822-foot Swannanoa Tunnel, which one report said cost the lives of 23 prisoners. The first train, the ''Salisbury'', weighed seventeen tons and was pulled using ropes by convicts who laid track in front of it.
Western North Carolina Railroad Company (No. 2) was sold at foreclosure, April 27, 1880, and conveyed to Western North Carolina Railroad Company (No. 3) on May 27, 1880. Western North Carolina Railroad Company (No. 3) was incorporated under act of North Carolina, May 27, 1880. The Richmond and West Point Terminal Railway and Warehouse Company controlled the company through ownership of a majority of the outstanding capital stock.ICC, ''Southern Ry. Co.'' valuation report, 1931, p. 639. Mortgage bonds were issued to the State of North Carolina in partial consideration for the acquisition of the property while preferred stock was issued to the private stockholders.ICC, ''Southern Ry. Co.'' valuation report, 1931, p. 640. In July 1893, the Richmond Terminal Reorganization Committee obtained control of the company.
Western North Carolina Railroad Company (No. 3) constructed of railroad line between Azalea, North Carolina, and
Paint Rock, North Carolina
Paint Rock is an unincorporated community in Madison County, North Carolina, United States. The community is named after the nearby mountain of the same name along the North Carolina–Tennessee state line. Located along the south banks of the F ...
, in 1882 and of railroad line between
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...
, and Murphy, North Carolina, in 1882–1890. The construction work was performed by The American Construction Company, a corporation controlled by the Richmond and West Point Terminal Railway and Warehouse Company. Nineteen African-American prisoners on their way to work on the Cowee Tunnel drowned in the Tuckasegee River weighted down by their shackles. Constructed for the railway finished in 1891.
The property of Western North Carolina Railroad Company (No. 3) was leased and operated by the Richmond and Danville Railroad Company and its receivers from April 30, 1886, to August 31, 1894.
Western North Carolina Railroad Company (No. 3) was sold at foreclosure on August 21, 1894, and was conveyed to Southern Railway Company, August 22, 1894, although possession was retained by the receivers until August 31, 1894.