Johnson City TN: Railroad Boomtown

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Johnson City Envisioned as a Boomtown

With the East Tennessee & Virginia and the East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Railroads already completed and being operated, Johnson City was already growing and thriving in the 1880s. With the end of the Civil War and reconstruction underway, investment and speculation was booming in the south.

In 1885 as planning for the 3Cs began, and in 1886 as it was incorporated and as it worked to solicit investors, much was said and promised about what the 3Cs could do for Johnson City’s future.

Investors, the townspeople, and the press were talking about the unlimited potential for Johnson City to be ‘the Pittsburgh of the South,’ or the ‘Next Birmingham.’

During the late 1880s, Johnson City did become a Boomtown for a short time. But after the Panic of 1893 and some additional downturns in industries, a true ‘railroad boomtown’ status was never achieved. However, the city has always been an important rail hub. Johnson City’s growth into the largest city in the region was eventually due to other factors such as the success of East Tennessee State University and the development of the city into a regional medical center.

The city’s early newspaper, the Comet said it best in 1909……that they had told many stories about the railroad and Johnson City as a boomtown, ‘some of them were not considered to be true.’ But with the successful completion of the Clinchfield Railroad, ‘we simply got our dates mixed up and missed the time by only 23 years.’

More Rails Across the Appalachians information will be added to this page and website in the days ahead. Please let me know if you have any questions, see any edits that should be made, or have any content you are willing to share. Would enjoy hearing from you if you have similar interests in Appalachian Railroads, the region, or model railroading.

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For More Information – Sources and Resources

The following are excellent resources for those of you wanting to explore and learn more about the history and operation of the Appalachian Railroads. These sources of information also serve as reference and historical materials for Appalachian-Railroads.org. Much of the content on the website is verified across multiple sources.

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Would enjoy hearing from you if you have questions, suggestions, edits, or content that you are willing to share. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have similar interests in the railroads or model railroading.

3Cs Websites

Appalachian-Railroads.org | Clinchfield.org | Southern-Railroads.org