Augusta and Knoxville Railroad

The Augusta and Knoxville Railroad (A&K) was a railroad company that operated on 66 miles (106 km) of track between Augusta, Georgia, and Greenwood, South Carolina, from 1882 to 1886. It was merged with three other companies to form the Port Royal and Western Carolina Railway, which was reorganized in 1896 as the Charleston and Western Carolina Railway.

Augusta and Knoxville Railroad
Overview
LocaleGeorgia and South Carolina, USA
Dates of operation1877 (1877) (chartered)
1882 (1882)–1886 (1886)
SuccessorPort Royal and Western Carolina Railway
Technical
Length68 mi (109 km)

History

The company was chartered in 1877 to connect its namesake cities,[1][2][3] and was incorporated on February 3, 1880.[4] Patrick H. Bradley served as president until the incorporation, at which time he stepped down citing poor health to become vice president.[5] Eugene F. Verdery was appointed president at the incorporation meeting, and the interests of the elected board of directors were split with ten directors from Georgia and six directors from South Carolina.[4][6][note 1] Bonds were issued for the railroad's construction,[8] including a separate $50,000 bond to build a bridge over the Savannah River.[9]

The line that they would eventually complete was started by the Greenwood and Augusta Railroad (G&A), which was chartered in 1873 and began construction in August 1877; the G&A was incorporated into and became a branch of the Augusta, Knoxville and Greenwood Railroad (AK&G) in May 1877,[10] then the AK&G was consolidated into the A&K in 1880.[11][12][13][14][15][16] The AK&G acquisition increased the graded right-of-way total to 51 miles (82 km).[17] In 1881, the Charlotte, Columbia and Augusta Railroad tried to gain a controlling interest in the A&K in an effort to prevent competition from the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O).[18][19] Many of the shares of the A&K were held by the city of Augusta, which was reluctant to sell to them and to several other bidders including the Virginia Midland Railroad, Richmond and Danville Railroad and the Plant System.[17][18][20][21][22] The B&O themselves also made an offer to take control of the A&K which would help them complete construction of the entire line connecting to Spartanburg,[23] but the A&K board of directors declined.[24][25] The first train ran from Augusta 45 miles (72 km) to Dorrs Mines on January 8, 1882.[11] The full A&K line was officially opened with a ceremonial first train on April 28, 1882,[12][26][note 2] the track stretching 68 miles (109 km) between Augusta, Georgia, and Greenwood, South Carolina.[27] Regularly scheduled passenger trains began serving the line on May 15, 1882.[28]

The A&K was leased to the Port Royal and Augusta Railway in September 1883.[11][29][30][31] In 1886, bondholders brought suit to set aside the lease,[32] and on October 27, 1886, the A&K was merged with the Greenwood, Laurens and Spartanburg Railroad, Greenville and Laurens Railroad and the Savannah Valley Railroad to form the Port Royal and Western Carolina Railway (PR&WC).[11][29][33] Verdery continued his employment with the line, serving on the PR&WC board of directors.[11] The PR&WC was reorganized in 1896 as the Charleston and Western Carolina Railway.

Notes
  1. Verdery was also courted to be president of the Greenwood and Spartanburg Railroad in 1881.[7]
  2. Some reports written in the 20th century state that the opening occurred in 1884.[5][12]

References
  1. "Georgia. Convention in the Interest of the Augusta and Knoxville Railroad". Richmond Dispatch. Richmond, VA. May 10, 1877. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "The Augusta Railroad Meeting". The Intelligencer. Anderson, SC. May 17, 1877. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Augusta and Knoxville Railroad". The Abbeville Press and Banner. Abbeville, SC. May 16, 1877. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Augusta & Knoxville Railroad". Edgefield Advertiser. Edgefield, SC. May 13, 1880. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Watson, Margaret (October 27, 1966). "Marker To Be Unveiled Sunday To Honor Founder Of Bradley". The Index-Journal. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Augusta and Greenville". The Greenville News. Greenville, SC. November 15, 1881. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. Augusta Chronicle (May 4, 1881). "The Railroad Magnates". The Greenville News. Greenville, SC. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "(untitled)". The Montgomery Advertiser. Montgomery, AL. December 15, 1880. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Aiding a Railroad". Arkansas Democrat. Little Rock, AR. March 11, 1880. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Augusta and Knoxville Railroad". The Intelligencer (first ed.). Anderson, SC. May 17, 1877. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. Poor 1887, p. 626.
  12. Davis, Nora M. (April 28, 1945). "Augusta, Knoxville Line Opened Railroad 63 Years Ago Today To Greenwood". The Index-Journal. Greenwood, SC. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. Associated Press (May 6, 1880). "Two Important Corporations Consolidated". The Morning News. Wilmington, DE. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. Acts and Joint Resolutions of the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina, Passed at the Regular Session of 1881-82. Columbia, SC: James Woodrow, State Printer. 1882. pp. 1134–1135 – via Google Books.
  15. "Township Meetings for Railroad Purposes". The Abbeville Press and Banner. Abbeville, SC. March 17, 1880. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. "The Work of the Session". The Intelligencer (second ed.). Anderson, SC. March 4, 1880. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. "A Startling Story. Rumors that if True Improve Greenville's Chances". The Greenville News. Greenville, SC. May 7, 1881. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. "A Scheme of the Clydes". The Intelligencer. Anderson, SC. June 9, 1881. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. "Georgia Railroad Affairs". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, MD. May 25, 1881. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. "Knoxville and Augusta Railroad". Yorkville Enquirer. York, SC. June 23, 1881. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. "Augusta and Knoxville Railroad". Edgefield Advertiser. Edgefield, SC. February 9, 1882. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. "Check to the Clydes". The Intelligencer (first ed.). Anderson, SC. June 23, 1881. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. "(untitled)". The Greenville News. Greenville, SC. June 15, 1881. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. "Augusta and Knoxville Railroad". Knoxville Daily Chronicle. Knoxville, TN. June 19, 1881. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. "The Road to Spartanburg". The Greenville News. Greenville, SC. June 26, 1881. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. "The A. & K. R. R." The Abbeville Press and Banner. Abbeville, SC. May 3, 1882. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. Poor 1887, pp. 625-626.
  28. Twiggs, A.J. (June 7, 1882). "Augusta and Knoxville Railroad Co". The Abbeville Press and Banner. Abbeville, SC. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. Thomas, Henry W. (1895). Digest of the Railroad Laws of Georgia. Atlanta, GA: Franklin Printing and Publishing Co. p. 283 – via Google Books.
  30. "Lease of the Augusta and Knoxville to the Port Royal and Augusta Road". The Times-Picayune (first ed.). New Orleans, LA. August 3, 1883. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. "The Ratification of the Augusta and Knoxville Railroad Lease". The Atlanta Constitution. Atlanta, GA. September 27, 1883. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. "The Port Royal Railroad Bondholders' Suit". The Weekly Star. Wilmington, NC. July 16, 1886. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. "Augusta. Trying to Settle the Big Strike - Important Railroad Negotiations". The Shelby Chronicle. Columbiana, AL. November 4, 1886. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
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