WHO WANTS ANOTHER RAILROAD?
For decades, many powerful Laurens Countians fought the idea of a railroad through Laurens County. In the 1840s, former Georgia governor and United States Senator, led is fellow Laurens Countians to block the location of the Central of Georgia railroad from Macon, through Dublin, to Savannah. The only positive result of the resounding veto was that Laurens County and its citizens avoided the destructive wrath of the right wing of General William T. Sherman’s army as is steamrolled through Central Georgia on its March to the Sea.
Things began to change in the aftermath of the Civil War. Business men and farmers alike began to talk more and more of a railroad. Businessmen were looking for more economical ways to receive their goods. Farmers wanted easier and more more efficient ways to get export their crops and timber out of the county and even to the seas.
In 1881, the first proposed railroad was one which would run from Augusta to Louisville to Dublin. Headed by Colonel John T. Shewmake of Augusta and Dublin, tying in the Macon and Brunswick Railroad in what would become Cochran. Shemake asserted that this route would give Dublin access to all major cities of Georgia via existing railroads. The venture, like many of other projects, failed for lack of investors.
In the summer of 1882, New York capitalists considered a railroad from Columbus through Wiregrass, Georgia to Savannah crossing the Oconee River 5 miles above Mt. Vernon and within 17 miles of Dublin and ending in Savannah and known as the Savannah and Pacific Short Line Railway Company
The Alice and Dublin Railroad Company was incorporated in 1884. The railroad would run from Dublin 30 miles to Alice (Cochran) on the East Tennessee, Virginia, and Georgia Railroad.
Laurens County boosters proclaimed that the county needed railroads because of the production of 7000 bales of cotton per year furnishing $300,000.00 in trade and timber and wool sales which amounted to $125,000.00.
Hopes were high when the Dublin Short Line Railroad of Georgia planned to build a railroad from Dublin through Pulaski, and Dodge Counties to Cochran the East Tennessee, Virginia, and Georgia Railroad.
Interestingly the local newspaper’s editor wrongly predicted that half of Dublin's businesses will close within 18 months of the completion of the Wrightsville and Tennille Railroad. Just the opposite was true when the railroad was completed to the eastern banks of the river and into Dublin with the completion of the first railroad bridge in July 1891.
In 1885 an application for charter for the Savannah, Dublin and Western Shortline Railway Co. To build a railroad from Savannah through Emanuel, Mongtomery counties to Dublin, thence through Dodge and Pulaski to Hawkinsville, to Dooly to Americus.
The Augusta, Gibson, and Sandersville RR offered to extend its road to Dublin and
thence to South Georgia in 1886. The following year, The Augusta, Thomasville, and Gulf Railroad was to built from Augusta through Dublin to Thomasville to the Gulf of Mexico.
In 1886, five other railroads were planned into The Waycross Airline Railroad Company from Waycross to the city of Macon or Hawkinsville, in Pulaski county to Dublin. Then came the Augusta, Thomasville and Gulf Railroad Company from Augusta along the line of the Augusta, Gibson and Sandersville Railroad Company, through Dublin to Thomasville and Gulf of Mexico. Laurens Countains Judge John T. Duncan, Martin Jones, Dr. Charles Hicks and Joel Company joined others to form the Fort Valley and Dublin Railroad Company. Sixth was the Florida Midland and Georgia Railroad Company from Valdosta in a northerly direction through Telfair and Dodge Counties to Dublin.
In 1888 after the failure of the Dublin, Blackshear and Southern Railroad Company, nearly 15 years elapsed before the talk of new railroads resumed. Meanwhile six railroads were built and were successful in Laurens County. In 1902, the first north bound railroad, the Oconee Valley Railroad from Watkinsville, Eatonton, and Milledgeville to Dublin was proposed to transport goods to Dublin at the head of the Oconee River.
Two years later in 1904, construction on the first southbound railroad, the McRae
and Dublin railroad began. Construction started from McRae northward under the direction of mostly Telfair County investors, includin future Georgia governor, Eugene Talmadge. Eventually the project ran out of money, but much of the straightline grade is now part of U.S. Highway 441 above Little Ocmulgee State Park toward Cedar Grove.
In 1906, a proposal was made to reinstate a railroad from Mt. Vernon to Dublin was approved. The investors hoped to join with the proposed railroad to Millegeville.
The efforts continued in 1912 with the application for the incorporation of the Jacksonville, McRae and Northern Railroad from Barrow's Bluff on the Altamaha River through McRae and on to Dublin, giving giving Dublin a direct route to Jacksonville, Fla.
Laurens County was home to six railoads, the Macon, Dublin, & Savannah, the Wrightsville & Tennille, the Dublin & Southwestern, the Empire Railroad, the Brewton and Pineora and the Wadley Southern. Today that number has dwindled to two.
But, imagine of you will, what if all of fifteen or so proposed railroads were successful? Dublin would have become became one of the largest railroad centers of the state of Georgia. And, our lives would have been changed forever.
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