Farmville and Powhatan Railroad

Last updated
Farmville and Powhatan Railroad
Overview
Headquarters Richmond, Virginia [1]
Locale Chesterfield, Virginia
Dates of operation1884-03-101905-06-07
Successor Tidewater and Western Railroad
Technical
Track gauge 3 ft (914 mm) [2]
Beach Station
Beach Station (Chesterfield, Virginia).JPG
The Village of Beach Station was built around 1890 was a stop on the Farmville and Powhatan and was opened on the year that the Farmville and Powhatan bought the Brighthope Railway.
Location10410 Beach Road, Chesterfield, VA
U.S.A.
Owned byGeorge Perdue
Line(s)Main
Distance70 miles from Farmville, Va.
Tracks1
Train operatorsFarmville and Powhatan Railroad and Tidewater and Western Railroad
Construction
Structure typewith a railroad depot, some railroad shanties, a general store and the owner's house.
History
Openedc.1891 (c.1891)
Closedc.1905 (c.1905)
Services
General Store and Postal mail. Store continued after rails were removed.
DesignatedFebruary 22, 2008
Reference no.08000067 [3]
DesignatedDecember 5, 2007 [4]
Reference no.020-5386

In 1886, Randolph Harrison, of the Virginia department of Agriculture, cited Cumberland Mining Company, stating that businessmen would soon open a hotel at Lithia Springs, Farmville, VA for people seeking the healing waters. The Brighthope railway would be extended to bring them there. [5] But instead, the Farmville and Powhatan Railroad Company built the narrow gauge rails through Cumberland County and the Farmville and Powhatan Railroad Company bought the Brighthope Railway, so the Farmville and Powhatan Railroad made the connection. [2] In 1890, Beach Station was built with a railroad depot, some railroad shanties, a general store and an owner's house, the George Perdue House as a stop on the line. [4] [6]

Contents

History

The Farmville and Powhatan Railroad, a narrow gauge railroad was formed On March 10, 1884, in five years beginning building tracks from Farmville to Cumberland and Powhatan. The Farmville and Powhatan bought the Brighthope Railway in which was in foreclosure on July 23, 1889. On March 3, 1890, the Farmville and Powhatan Railroad was connected to the Brighthope Railway three miles west of Winterpock, taking the eastward part, all but seven miles, of the Brighthope Railway to Bermuda Hundred. [7] After this line was built from Farmville to the Petersburg Area, the Upper Appomattox Canal Navigation System, which took days to make the same journey, would no longer be used.

Trains mostly hauled coal, lumber and then grain and tobacco and other farm products as well as a little furniture. There was one passenger only train and one train with passengers and cargo which each ran Weekdays and Saturday. [4] The trains had five first class passenger cars. The trains carried U.S. Postal mail on two mail, freight and express mail cars. The company had 7 engines and 210 cars in 1890, but only five engines in 1896. [8] The railroad company employed 169 people including over 50 trackmen, who maintained the tracks; 18 who worked at the station as well as carpenters, machinists and other laborers. [1]

In 1891 the train did not always stop but a railroad car, although not a Railway post office, on the Farmville and Powhatan Railroad, dropped off and picked up mail using the Mail on-the-fly technique at Moseley and Skinquater. This was a hook and pouch system that let the train drop off and pick up mail without slowing down. [9]

Postal Telegraph Company operated the telegraph over the rails and charged customers for telegraphs. [10]

Stations

Moseley Junction 1891 Post Office which had a Closed-pouch Mail system with the train. Moseley Junction 1891 building which is similar to other Farmville and Powhatan Railroad Depots.jpg
Moseley Junction 1891 Post Office which had a Closed-pouch Mail system with the train.
The Purdue Station on the Brighthope Railway shown here in 2016 at 12702 Beach Road in Chesterfield, Virginia Purdue Station on the Brighthope Railway.jpg
The Purdue Station on the Brighthope Railway shown here in 2016 at 12702 Beach Road in Chesterfield, Virginia
Fendley Station remodeled into a Park Office Fendley Station remodeled into a Park Office.jpg
Fendley Station remodeled into a Park Office
Skinquarter Train Depot on the Farmville and Powhatan Railroad in 1891 Skinquarter Train Depot on the Farmville and Powhatan Railroad.jpg
Skinquarter Train Depot on the Farmville and Powhatan Railroad in 1891
Railroad Depot, Beach Station, Chesterfield, Virginia. Railroad Depot, Beach Station,Chesterfield, Virginia.jpg
Railroad Depot, Beach Station, Chesterfield, Virginia.

The Farmville and Powhatan was a ninety three mile line after the merger. The rails had one bridge over the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and the Swift Creek Rail Bridge.

Reformed Baptist Church of Richmond in Winterpock since 1825, across from the train stop Winterpock Reformed Baptist Church.jpg
Reformed Baptist Church of Richmond in Winterpock since 1825, across from the train stop

Passenger travel

An uncomfortable ride

A passenger from Powhatan Courthouse complained of the discontinuation of the early train of the F & P, that connected in Moseley with the Southern Railway, on the old Richmond and Danville Railroad rails. This forced him to take an uncomfortable ride on the F & P to Chester which took longer each morning. The railroad replied that they needed to have trains that were full the entire route, starting no earlier than 5:50 in Farmville for people who had to walk a few miles to reach the train station. His train that had connected to the Southern had started at 4:50 A.M. in Farmville so had very few passengers in the beginning of the run. [17]

Stop anywhere

Red Lane Tavern Red Lane Tavern.jpg
Red Lane Tavern

Train operators running the passenger train would "Stop Anywhere" to pick up passengers. Red Lane Tavern was a common stop for the passenger train that was not listed on the schedule. [4]

Fowlkes v. the Southern Railroad Co.

Mrs. Eva C. Fowlkes, on March 9, 1899, purchased a ticket on the Southern Railway from Richmond to Mosley Junction to connect to Skinquarter by way of the Farmville and Powhatan. The railroad ticket master had misinformed her and there was no connection that day. She did not see the small new Farmville and Powhatan ticket office in Mosley Junction and hired wagon to take her to her parents house in Skinquarter, Virginia. As she was pregnant, she had a miscarriage after the wagon ride which resulted in a lawsuit, Folkes v. the Southern Railway Co. in which the railroad was liable for only $150, the court ruled that the railroad attendant could not predict the events that would happen after the misinformation was given. [18]

Modern pathway

This is the Railroad Bed of the, Farmville and Powhatan Railroad at Winterpock, Virginia on Beach Road. Railroad Bed of the Brighthope Railroad.jpg
This is the Railroad Bed of the, Farmville and Powhatan Railroad at Winterpock, Virginia on Beach Road.

Following the path of the old railroad today travels down Virginia State Route 10 from Bermuda Hundred on the north side of the Appomattox River and then east on Carver Heights Drive, Chester, through a landfill and housing complex, next to Bright Hope Road then along Beach Road to Winterpock, then one spur lead down where South on Coalboro Rd is today. The main line led from Winterpock to Skinquarter up Local route 603 or Beaver Bridge Rd. Past Skinquarter it continued on 603 to 605 and up 605 which becomes Mosley Rd where it crossed the Southern Railway. It continued on 605 to 622 and up 622 to Flat Rock. From Flat Rock it followed near State Rt 60 to Powhatan where it then took Route 13 or Old Buckingham Road all the way to Cumberland, Virginia. From Cumberland it followed what is now Virginia State Route 45 to Farmville. Most of the stops are still towns today, even if only a sign and a few stores.

Location

Map Showing the Norfolk - Wilmington and Charleston Railroad in 1891.jpg
The Farmville and Powhatan Railroad shown in southern Central Virginia on a Map by G.W. & C.B. Colton & Co. of the Norfolk, Wilmington, and Charleston Railroad in 1891.

Related Research Articles

Chesterfield County, Virginia County in Virginia

Chesterfield County is located just south of Richmond in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county's borders are primarily defined by the James River to the north and the Appomattox River to the south. Its county seat is Chesterfield Court House.

Chester, Virginia CDP in Virginia, United States

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Southside Railroad (Virginia)

The Southside Railroad was formed in Virginia in 1846. Construction was begun in 1849 and completed in 1854. The 5 ft gauge railroad connected City Point, a port on the James River with the farm country south and west of Petersburg, Virginia, to Lynchburg, Virginia, a distance of about 132 miles (212 km).

Southside (Richmond, Virginia)

The Southside of Richmond is an area of the Metropolitan Statistical Area surrounding Richmond, Virginia. It generally includes all portions of the City of Richmond which lie south of the James River, and includes all of the former city of Manchester. Depending on context, the term "Southside of Richmond" can include some northern areas of adjacent Chesterfield County, Virginia in the Richmond-Petersburg region. With minor exceptions near Bon Air, VA, the Chippenham Parkway forms the border between Chesterfield County and the City of Richmond portions of Southside, with some news agencies using the term "South Richmond" to refer to the locations in Southside located in the city proper.

Moseley, Virginia Unincorporated community in Virginia, United States

Moseley is an unincorporated area in Powhatan and Chesterfield counties in the U.S. state of Virginia. The United States Post Office for the community is located at 21431 Hull Street Road, with a ZIP code of 23120. Many upper-middle class communities have been built in the area in previous years such as Foxcreek, Magnolia Green, Summer Lake, Westerleigh and FoxFire. It is bordered to the east by the census-designated place of Woodlake.

Battle of Port Walthall Junction

The Battle of Port Walthall Junction was fought May 6–7, 1864, between Union and Confederate forces during the Bermuda Hundred Campaign of the American Civil War. Although initially successful, the Confederates were eventually defeated, allowing Union forces to cut a railroad. The Port Walthall Junction on the Richmond-Petersburg Railroad connected with the spur to Port Walthall.

Port Walthall Former town in Virginia, United States

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Richmond and Petersburg Railroad

The Richmond and Petersburg Railroad moved passengers and goods between Richmond and Petersburg from 1838 to 1898. It survived the American Civil War and eventually merged into the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1900.

Virginia State Route 13

State Route 13 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. Known as Old Buckingham Road, the state highway runs 24.08 miles (38.75 km) from U.S. Route 60 and SR 45 in Cumberland east to US 60 in Plain View. SR 13 parallels US 60 to the south through eastern Cumberland County and western Powhatan County and passes through the latter county's seat of Powhatan. The state highway is the only state-numbered highway in Virginia that shares a number with a U.S. Highway but does not form a state-numbered extension of that U.S. Highway. SR 13's number comes from being a segment of the original cross-state SR 13 in 1918; that highway included portions of modern US 60. In 1933, US 60 was shifted to its present corridor between Buena Vista and Richmond, replacing SR 13. Two years later, SR 13 was assigned to Old Buckingham Road when US 60 was moved to its present alignment from Cumberland to east of Powhatan.

Virginia Beach, Virginia's development is tied to the establishment of a transportation infrastructure that allowed access to the Atlantic shoreline.

Skinquarter is an unincorporated town located off U.S. Route 360 in the western part of Chesterfield County in Virginia. It is located on the headwaters off Goode's Creek and Skinquarter Creek which flow to different places on the Appomattox River.

Union Station (Petersburg)

Petersburg Union Station is a former train station in Petersburg, Virginia. It was built in 1909–1910 for the Norfolk and Western Railway, and was later used by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and Amtrak.

Raines Tavern is an unincorporated community in Cumberland County on Virginia State Route 45 just north of Farmville, Virginia, in the U.S. state of Virginia. It was a stop on the Farmville and Powhatan Railroad from 1884 to 1905, and on the Tidewater and Western Railroad from 1905 to 1917.

Beach Station (Chesterfield, Virginia) United States historic place

Beach Station a national historic district located near Chesterfield, in Chesterfield County, Virginia. The district includes six contributing buildings and one contributing site in the Village of Beach. They were all constructed about 1890 and are two single-family dwellings, a post office, a railway depot, an outbuilding, two railroad shanties, and the ruins of the former general store. Beach Station was accessible from the Farmville and Powhatan Railroad later named the Tidewater and Western Railroad. Leasing arrangements had been made with the Brighthope Railway company which was sold to become the Farmville and Powhatan. The district represents an unusual collection of late-nineteenth-century buildings in their historic surroundings. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.

Brighthope Railway

In 1886, Randolph Harrison, of the Virginia department of Agriculture, cited Cumberland Mining Company, stating that the United States had purchased stock in the Brighthope Railway. He continued by citing their assertion that extending the railway into Cumberland would increase the value of farms there because they could sell consumer agricultural products such as fruit, dairy and vegetables to all markets of Virginia. The Brighthope Railway was founded in 1877 by the creditors of the Clover Hill Railroad who bought that railroad when the Clover Hill Railroad went bankrupt. The Brighthope Railway continued in the role of the Clover Hill Railroad, hauling coal from the Clover Hill Pits at Winterpock, Virginia. In addition to coal, the Bright Hope Railway transported timber and agricultural products and had passenger service. The Bright Hope Railway was narrowed from standard gauge to narrow gauge and rerouted in 1881. In 1886, much of the southern rails we changed to standard gauge. The Brighthope Railway was not changed back.

Clover Hill Railroad

The Clover Hill Railroad was a railroad company that operated for 36 years in central Virginia near Richmond. The railroad was created to carry coal most efficiently from the Clover Hill Pits in Winterpock, Virginia, to further transportation points in Chester, Virginia, where it could sold for a better price than on the Appomattox River in the Piedmont region. This made the railroad important to the Confederacy in the Civil War to ensure a supply of coal for munitions and iron working. The mines were dangerous for the miners, and many accidents occurred. The railroad had to be sold when coal mining declined so that new owners could find other uses for the railroad.

Clover Hill Pits

The Clover Hill Pits are a number of coal shafts and mines that operated in the Southside area of Richmond, Virginia from 1837 until around 1883.

Swift Creek Rail Bridge

The Swift Creek Rail Bridge was a granite and iron truss bridge over Swift Creek in Virginia. The Tidewater and Western Railroad included a bridge over Swift Creek that had been built by an earlier railroad company, the Clover Hill Railroad. The bridge was used during the whole time the four railroad companies operated rails over the bridge. The metal on the bridge was sold as part of foreclosure of the final company in 1917.

Tidewater and Western Railroad

The Farmville and Powhatan Railroad went bankrupt in 1905 and became the Tidewater and Western Railroad. The line survived until 1917 when it was pulled up and sent to France for the World War I effort. The Tidewater and Western Railroad carried freight and passengers along a route from Farmville, Virginia to Bermuda Hundred. The Tidewater and Western Railroad continued to have Western Union Telegraphs run along the rails. These connected to telegraphs on the Atlantic Coast Line along the East Coast of the US and to Europe.

Richmond Basin

The Richmond Basin was one of the Eastern North America Rift Basins. It lies over Swift Creek Reservoir from Interstate 64 to the Appomattox River.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Virginia. Office of the Railroad Commissioner (1902). Annual Report of the Railroad Commissioner of the State of Virginia. R.F. Walker, Superintendent Pub. Print. pp. 302–314.
  2. 1 2 Virginia. State Corporation Commission (1915). Annual Report. p. 747.
  3. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  5. 1 2 Virginia. Dept. of Agriculture; Randolph Harrison (1886). Hand-book of Virginia. Johns & Company, Book and Job Printers. pp.  65–66.
  6. "Historic Beach Station National Register of Historic Places Virginia Historic Landmark Chesterfield County Historic Landmark" (PDF). The Chesterfield Historical Society of Virginia. July 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-10-06.
  7. George Woodman Hilton (1990). American Narrow Gauge Railroads. Stanford University Press. pp. 543–. ISBN   978-0-8047-1731-1.
  8. Allen, C. F. H. (April 1966). "Tidewater and Western Railroad": 50. JSTOR   43518179.Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. United States. Post Office Dept (1891). Annual Reports. Report of the Postmaster-General. Miscellaneous Reports. pp.  822–823.
  10. Virginia. Constitutional Convention (1906). Report of the proceedings and debates of the Constitutional Convention, state of Virginia: held in the city of Richmond June 12, 1901, to June 26, 1902. Hermitage Press. pp.  2518.
  11. Buettner, Michael (2014-04-02). "Welcome to Winterpock: the original 'boom' town". Chesterfield Observer. Chesterfield, Virginia. Archived from the original on 2016-09-11. Retrieved 2016-08-03.
  12. Gaskins, Ray A. (2015-12-23). "Monthly Happenings in Farmville and Prince Edward County". The Farmville Herald. Farmville, Virginia. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  13. John B. Watkins (1907). Chesterfield County, Virginia, Its History and Present Condition: Prepared Under the Supervision of John B. Watkins, as Authorized by the Board of Supervisors of the County, August, 1906. Williams Print. Company. pp. 36–37.
  14. Poole Brothers (1898). Poole Bros. Mining Directory and Reference Book of the United States, Canada and Mexico ... Poole Bros. p. 774.
  15. Jeffrey O’Dell (1983). Chesterfield Development (Report). Chesterfield County, Virginia. Archived from the original on 2016-05-05.
  16. The Virginias: A Mining, Industrial and Scientific Journal, Devoted to the Development of Virginia and West Virginia. 1884. p. 181.
  17. Virginia. Railroad Commissioner (1893). Annual Report of the Railroad Commissioner of the State of Virginia. R.F. Walker, Superintendent Pub. Print. pp. 20–.
  18. Railroad Reports. Michie Company. 1899. pp. 250–255.