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Wilmington, North Carolina once had a thriving Black middle class and an elected interracial government. In 1898 white supremacists used violence to overthrow that government, kill Black residents and drive many others from the city.
MORE →Reflects the personal views, recollections, and perspective of the author, Mike Davis.
This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985
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 Route of the North Carolina Railroad, in blue. | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Parent company | State of North Carolina |
| Headquarters | Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Reporting mark | NCRR |
| Locale | Between Morehead City and Charlotte |
| Dates of operation | 1854– |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Previous gauge | 4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm) |
| Length | 317 miles (510 km) |
| Other | |
| Website | ncrr |
The North Carolina Railroad (reporting mark NCRR) is a 317-mile (510 km) state-owned rail corridor extending from Morehead City, North Carolina, to Charlotte. The railroad carries over 70 freight trains (operated by the Norfolk Southern Railway) and ten passenger trains (Amtrak's Carolinian and Piedmont) daily. The railroad works with the North Carolina Department of Commerce and the North Carolina Department of Transportation on capital-improvement projects.
In 1848, the North Carolina Legislature authorized a railroad that would connect the eastern part of the state with the Piedmont. North Carolina Senate President Calvin Graves cast the deciding vote, ensuring that the railroad would be built, but ending his political career because it would not pass through his district. The North Carolina Railroad was incorporated January 27, 1849, by special act of the legislature.[1]
In 1851, Senator Graves was given the honor of lifting the first shovel of soil as construction of the railroad began in Greensboro. In 1854, the railroad's first president, businessman John Motley Morehead, dubbed the rail line "the tree of life" for the state.[2]
About 130 miles of the 4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm)-gauge[3] railroad, between Greensboro and Goldsboro, was opened for operation on December 13, 1855.[1] About 94 miles of the railroad, between Greensboro and Charlotte, was opened on January 30, 1856.[1] In early 1856, the first train traveled along the entire route from Goldsboro to Charlotte.[citation needed]
At the close of the American Civil War in May 1865, the shareholders' inspection committee examined and delivered a report on the status of the railway. The document noted significant damage to the tracks from rain and flooding, the wholesale destruction of about 10 miles of track near Salisbury by federal forces, and the burning of the depots at Raleigh, Goldsboro, High Point, and Salisbury, as well as the burning of several facilities in Charlotte.[4] The track east of Raleigh had been sabotaged by retreating Confederate forces during the closing stages of the war and was under the jurisdiction of the United States Military Railroad.[5]
In 1858, the Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad was completed, opening 96 miles (154 km) of rail between Goldsboro and Shepard's Point, now Morehead City. Efforts to consolidate the Atlantic and North Carolina with the NCRR began in 1866, but completing the merger and consolidating the railroads from Morehead City to Charlotte was not completed until 1989.[citation needed]
The North Carolina Railroad was leased to the Richmond and Danville Railroad Company and its receiver from September 11, 1871, to June 30, 1894.[1]
From July 1, 1894, the North Carolina Railroad was leased to the R&D's successor, the Southern Railway Company, for 99 years. Southern merged with Norfolk & Western Railway to form Norfolk Southern, which inherited the NCRR lease.[1] Norfolk Southern retained control of the railroad until 1999, when NCRR and Norfolk Southern reached an exclusive trackage rights agreement enabling Norfolk Southern to continue freight and maintenance operations on the NCRR line for 15 years, renewable for 30 more years.
In 1929, Governor O. Max Gardner appointed Fanny Yarborough Bickett as the first woman president of the railroad.[6] She was succeeded by Cora Lily Woodard Aycock in 1933.
In 1998, one year before the establishment of the new lease with Norfolk Southern, the State of North Carolina agreed to buy out the remaining 25% of private shares of NCRR stock. While the NCRR is still nominally a private company, all of the voting stock is held by the state.
In 2000, the North Carolina Legislature established by statute that North Carolina Railroad Company dividends paid to the state were required to be used by the North Carolina Department of Transportation for improvements to the NCRR line. At that time, NCRR was a real estate investment trust. In 2013, the legislature rewrote this statute to enable NCDOT to use its dividends of the North Carolina Railroad Company for the purposes set forth in the statute.[citation needed]
Recently,[when?] the North Carolina Railroad Company added three new passing sidings over eight miles and centralized traffic control between Raleigh and Selma (30 miles) to increase capacity for both freight and passenger trains. The company is also replacing several other bridges along the corridor to improve safety, efficiency, and speed. Other improvements made by the NCRR since 2001 include rail and bridge upgrades between Raleigh and Morehead City, at a cost in excess of $60 million. In 2010, the company completed commuter rail investment and ridership studies for the segments between Goldsboro and Greensboro, through Raleigh.
Since 2008, the North Carolina Railroad Company has been working with the North Carolina Department of Transportation and Norfolk Southern to improve crossing safety on the eastern portion of the line by upgrading gates and crossing signals. The Company is also working with these parties to add or replace double track between Charlotte and Raleigh in an initiative to extend higher-speed passenger rail south to Charlotte from Washington via Richmond, Virginia.
The North Carolina Railroad was instrumental in encouraging the economic development of North Carolina in the 19th century, helping to define new markets, new industries, and new cities. Today, NCRR continues to contribute to the state’s economy. NCRR carries over one million carloads of freight each year and about 300,000 passengers. Based on a 2007 study by the Research Triangle Institute, the railroad saves North Carolina industries $198 million in transportation costs annually, and the total impact on North Carolina economic output is $338 million annually. In 2005, in counties bordering NCRR tracks, industries using rail freight services accounted for $143 billion in output, more than 24% of North Carolina’s total economy. NCRR freight transportation also has environmental advantages, conveying $65.7 million in external benefits.
In 2012, the Program Evaluation Division of the General Assembly conducted an evaluation of the railroad.[7][8] The evaluation report recommended maintaining ownership of the North Carolina Railroad, payment of both one-time and annual dividends, and stronger reporting requirements.[7]
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
Source: Wikipedia. Article content is retrieved live through the MediaWiki API.
The North Carolina Railroad (reporting mark NCRR) is a 317-mile (510 km) state-owned rail corridor extending from Morehead City, North Carolina, to Charlotte. The railroad carries over 70 freight trains (operated by the Norfolk Southern Railway) and ten passenger trains (Amtrak's Carolinian and Piedmont) daily. The railroad works with the North Carolina Department of Commerce and the North Carolina Department of Transportation on capital-improvement projects.
Western North-Carolina Railroad Company was incorporated under act of North Carolina on February 15, 1855. 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 officer Samuel McDowell Tate 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. The company constructed 76 miles (122 km) of 4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm) gauge railroad line between Salisbury, North Carolina, and a point near Morganton, North Carolina, between 1858 and 1863. 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, 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 76 miles (122 km) of railroad line. 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, and Ducktown, Tennessee, but did not complete construction of any part of the proposed railroad line. Western North Carolina Rail Road Company - Eastern Division constructed 35.1 miles (56.5 km) of railroad line between a point near Morganton, North Carolina, and Old Fort, North Carolina, in 1869. Five-hundred African Americans 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. 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 23.2 miles (37.3 km) of railroad line between Old Fort, North Carolina and Azalea, North Carolina in 1879. 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. 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. In July 1893, the Richmond Terminal Reorganization Committee obtained control of the company. Western North Carolina Railroad Company (No. 3) constructed 49.6 miles (79.8 km) of railroad line between Azalea, North Carolina, and Paint Rock, North Carolina, in 1882 and 122.6 miles (197.3 km) of railroad line between Asheville, North Carolina, 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.
Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad Company was incorporated under act of the North Carolina Legislature, ratified December 27, 1852, and was organized on January 20, 1854. Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad Company constructed 96.1 miles (154.7 km) of 5 ft (1,524 mm) gauge railroad line between Morehead City, North Carolina, and Goldsboro, North Carolina, through New Bern, North Carolina. The leasehold had been acquired by Norfolk Southern Railway Company, which in turn had secured it from the Atlantic and North Carolina Company, the original lessee, when the latter was absorbed in the consolidation which formed the Norfolk Southern Railway Company.
The East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Railroad (reporting mark ET&WNC) known colloquially as "the Tweetsie" as a verbal acronym of its initials and also a reference to the sound of its steam whistles) was a primarily 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge railroad established in 1866 for the purpose of serving the mines at Cranberry, North Carolina. The 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge portion of the ET&WNC was abandoned in 1950. The 11-mile (17.7 km) 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge segment of the line from Johnson City to Elizabethton, Tennessee, operated as East Tennessee Railway until 2003. In 2012 the rails and ties were removed to make way for a rail-trail. This trail was named the Tweetsie Trail.
Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.
MORE →Joe Louis.
