Jonesborough Tennessee Railroad Convention
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Jonesborough Tennessee Railroad Convention – 1835
Earlier in 1831, a meeting of officials from the region Jonesborough region was held to discuss a proposed rail line from central Virginia to Knoxville TN on the Tennessee River. The meeting was not successful at that time, but twenty years later construction was underway to build two contiguous railroads connecting Lynchburg VA with Knoxville TN.
In 1835, a larger railroad convention was held in Jonesborough in support of the concept of a railroad connecting Cincinnati on the Ohio River, with Charleston SC on the Atlantic Ocean. The most direct route was through East Tennessee. Probably to the dismay of those in Jonesborough, the eventual and easiest route was through Knoxville and Asheville NC, which was decided at the concurrent Knoxville Railroad Convention.
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.
- Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Historical Society
- Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society
- Louisville & Nashville Railroad Historical Society
- Norfolk & Western Historical Society
- Southern Railway Historical Association
- Archives of Appalachia: ETSU, Johnson City TN
- Book – Drury. The Historical Guide to North American Railroads
- Book – Flanary, Lindsey & Oroszi. The Southern Railway
- Books – Goforth: ‘Building the Clinchfield‘ and ‘When Steam Ran the Clinchfield‘
- Book – Graybeal: ‘The Railroads of Johnson City‘
- Book – Irwin & Stahl: ‘The Last Empire Builder: The Life of George L. Carter‘
- Book – King: ‘Clinchfield Country‘
- Book – Marsh: ‘Clinchfield in Color‘
- Book – Poole: ‘A History of Railroading in Western North Carolina‘
- Book – Poteat & Taylor: ‘The CSX Clinchfield Route in the 21st Century‘
- Book – Stevens & Peoples: ‘The Clinchfield No. 1 – Tennessee’s Legendary Steam Engine‘
- Book – Way: ‘The Clinchfield Railroad, the Story of a Trade Route Across the Blue Ridge Mountains‘
- Book – Wolfe: Southern Railway Appalachia Division
- Magazines/Online: ‘Trains‘, ‘Classic Trains‘
- Carolana.com – North Carolina Railroads, South Carolina Railroads
- HawkinsRails.net
- StateOfFranklin.net which hosts Johnson’s Depot
- RailFanGuides.us for Johnson City and for Erwin
- SteamLocomotive.com
- WvncRails.org – North Carolina and West Virginia Railroads
- Online Videos: Ken Marsh on Kingsport area railroads and region’s history Video #1 | Video #2:
- Online Article: Flanary: ‘The Quick Service Route, The Clinchfield Railroad‘
- Numerous Newspaper Articles: Newspapers.com
- Article: Scientific American: ‘The Costliest Railroad in America‘
- Personal Maps & Memorabilia: Documents, maps, timetables, and track charts
Contact Us
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
Contact Us
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.