|
"Until
1880, the visitor to Asheville was compelled to travel the last leg of
his journey by stage-coach, private horse-drawn vehicle or horseback.
Travelers from considerable distances proceeded as far as they could on
existing railroads and then moved from these railroads by horse-drawn
transportation to Asheville.
The North Carolina Railroad, running from Goldsboro through Raleigh,
Greensboro and Salisbury to Charlotte, was chartered in 1849, started in
1851 and completed in January,1856. At Goldsboro, the N. C. Railroad
connected with the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad.
1858, the Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad, connecting
Goldsboro with Newbern and Morehead City was completed.
These connecting railroads made it possible for the visitor from the
eastern part of the state to travel by train as far as Charlotte. The register reveals the effect which this railroad service
had in increasing travel to Asheville from the Piedmont and coastal
regions.
The Wilmington, Charlotte and Rutherford Railroad was started in 18[?]
and had been completed as far as Lincolnton by the time of the outbreak
of the Civil War.
The Western North Carolina Railroad was incorporated in 1845. The
construction of this railroad which was to connect Asheville with
Salisbury was attended with many delays. The progress was so slow that
the railroad tracks had reached only the vicinity of Morganton at the
outbreak of the Civil War.
Construction was resumed after the War but the railroad had only reached
Old Fort by 1869. For a long time Old Fort represented the rail terminus
from which visitors from the East proceeded to Asheville by stage coach
or private horse-drawn vehicle. Most of this travel was through
Swannanoa Gap and not through Hickory Nut Gap. The road was completed to
Ashevil1e in 1881.
The attached map pictures the various railroad lines as they existed at
the time of the conclusion of the Civil War and not at the time of the
outbreak. For military
reasons there was much railroad construction during the conflict.
For instance, the railroad, connecting Greensboro with Danville
was built during the War. This
link was constructed to provide rail transportation from North Carolina
to the capital of the Confederacy.
It was needed to provide movement of troops and supplies to the
battle areas of Virginia."* |