The Memphis, Clarksville & Louisville Railroad: A History (Transportation)

Type

Book

Authors

DeFeo, Todd

ISBN 10

1467143464

ISBN 13

9781467143462

Tags

State & Local, History, Railroad, trains

Abstract

The Middle Tennessee community of Clarksville, Tennessee, was once a bustling transportation hub. It wasn’t just the riverboats plying the Cumberland River that made this region important. Railroads as well proved essential to the farmers growing tobacco in the region. The Memphis, Clarksville and Louisville Railroad was the first railroad to pass through Clarksville. The state of Tennessee chartered the railroad company in 1852. It built a line between Paris, Tenn., and Guthrie, Ky. that formed an integral portion of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad’s Memphis branch.

Description

The Memphis, Clarksville & Louisville Railroad is a perfect example of rail lines in the mid-nineteenth century. Chartered in 1852, the line ran from Paris, Tennessee, to the Kentucky state line and connected with two other routes to create a seamless link between Memphis and Louisville. It shortened the travel time between major economic cities, but its ability to make money didn’t match its founders’ aspirations. Its detractors ridiculed the route as “beginning in the woods and ending in a hollow tree.” Following the Civil War, the railroad revitalized the line, only to run out of money and largely fade away. Author Todd DeFeo recounts the fascinating story of a historic line.

Biblio Notes

Notes (pages 169 - 182); Bibliography (pages 183-186); and Index (pages 187-190).
60 images.

Number of Copies