Though first proposed in 1827, a plan to connect the Ohio River region with a southern Atlantic port did not begin construction until 1853. Construction was halted by the Civil War. It was not until the late 19th and early 20th centuries that railroads finally crossed the mountains, and Appalachia's relative isolation gave way to increased trade and economic development.

Browse our Suggested Reading List for books of interest.

Manuscripts

Henry Blackwell Photographs
Consists of black and white negatives and contact prints depicting the August 13, 1940 flood in western North Carolina and its effect along the Linville River Railway line, including scenes of washed out track, creek beds along abandoned track, and similar scenes related to the flooding.

Burton-Manning Collection
This significant collection of folklore material includes recordings of railroad songs and work chants as well as oral history regarding railroading in the region. Restriction: Recordings may not be duplicated without the permission of the donor.

Carolina, Clinchfield, and Ohio Railway Records
Formed in 1908, the railway carried passengers and freight between Elkhorn, Ky. and Spartanburg, S. C. Extensive records (1899-1979) include correspondence, minute books, annual reports, engineering files, financial records, blueprints, accident and personal injury files, line and topographical survey maps.

Carolina, Clinchfield, and Ohio Railway, Engineering Department Collection
Includes personnel files, memoranda, correspondence, minutes, maps, newsclippings, pamphlets, newsletters, construction diagrams, and miscellaneous records documenting the history and construction of the CC&O and the management of its engineering department.

James T. Dowdy, Sr. Photographs
Includes photographs related to three railroad lines: East Tennessee and Western North Carolina, Linville River, and the Carolina, Clinchfield, and Ohio. Scenes depict engines, depots, rail lines, roundhouses, shops, and rail crews.

East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad and Motor Transportation Company Collection
Originally chartered in 1866 to carry iron from Cranberry, N. C. to Elizabethton, Tenn., this narrow gauge railroad eventually ran from Johnson City, Tenn. to Saginaw, N. C. Extensive records (1868-1966) include correspondence, financial ledgers, minute books, and annual statements. Includes records related to the Linville River Railway and Inner City Trucking.

Mr. and Mrs. G. O. Edwards Collection
Consists of photographs depicting operations of the W. M. Ritter Lumber Company in Virginia and West Virginia. Included are views of trains hauling logs.

James A. Goforth Collection
Includes 174 black and white negatives and prints of railway construction and views along the rail routes in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and southwest Virginia taken (1906- 1915) by H. M. Deadrick for the Carolina, Clinchfield, and Ohio Railway. Also included are three line maps and two architectural drawings.

Charles Gunter, Jr. Collection
Includes interviews about the Carolina, Clinchfield, and Ohio Railway and other East Tennessee railroads during the period 1922-62.

Frederick S. Heiskell Collection
Includes correspondence and personal papers related to early Tennessee railroad development. Subjects include the East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad, Hiwassee Railroad, the Western and Atlantic Railroad, and the transcontinental railroad.

Johnson City Foundry and Machine Works Records
Founded in 1883, this major steel and aluminum fabricator company's records include ledgers, journals, financial records, office files, union contracts, board minutes, photographs, and other company records. Some material relates to business with the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad and the Carolina, Clinchfield, and Ohio Railway.

Carl B. Knight Papers
Contains correspondence, newspaper clippings, reports, and other material documenting Knight's activities (1972-83) as a board member of the Carolina, Clinchfield, and Ohio Railway. Much of the correspondence relates to the sale of the CC&O to the CSX Corporation in 1983.

Mildred Kozsuch Photograph Collection
Includes prints of many local subjects, including steam engines and the depot at Johnson City, Tenn.

Charles C. Tiller Photographs
Consists of black and white negatives and slides of the W. H. Ritter Lumber Company operations (1924-38), primarily in southwest Virginia, and includes images of railroad operations relating to the logging camps.

M. B. Vance Day Book
In the 1870s, Vance supplied railroad ties and lumber on section 14 of the East Tennessee, Virginia, and Georgia Railroad. This day book is a handwritten record of transactions related to this operation and covers may 31, 1870 - December 31, 1870.

WSJK-TV Collection
Historian Pat Alderman discusses the North Carolina community of Lost Cove, which, accessible only by rail or foot, became a ghost town when the railroad discontinued service.

Appalachian Photographic Archive

The Appalachian Photographic Archive has photograph files on the following subjects: Carolina, Clinchfield, and Ohio Railway; East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad; Railroads; Railroads--Depots and Stations.

Appalachian Vertical Files

Newspaper clippings, articles, and other material on railroads is available in these files under the following headings: Carolina, Clinchfield, and Ohio Railway; East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad; Railroads; Railroads--Tennessee, East; Railroads--Stations.

Suggested Reading for Special Collections

The following is a list of selected titles relating to the folklore of railroads and railroads in Appalachia. For a complete listing, consult Sherrod Library Online Catalog.

Campbell, E. T. Tweetsie tales : a collection of reminiscences. 1989.

Cohen, Norm. Long steel rail: the railroad in American folksong. 1981.

Dellinger, Clyde J. Tweetsie and the Clinchfield Railroads: crossing the Blue Ridge Mountains. 1975.

Ferrell, Mallory H. Tweetsie country: the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad. 1976.

Goforth, James A. Building the Clinchfield: a construction history of America's most unusual railroad. 1983.

Goforth, James A. When Steam Ran the Clinchfield. 1991.

Harshaw, Lou. Trains, trestles, and tunnels: railroads of the Southern Appalachians. 1977.

King, Steve. Clinchfield Country. 1988.

Lonon, J. L. Tall Tales of the Rails: on the Carolina, Clinchfield & Ohio. c. 1989.

Scheer, Julian. Tweetsie, the Blue Ridge sidewinder. 1958.

Smith, Ross. Reminiscences of an old-timer. 1930.

Sulzer, Elmer G. Ghost railroads of Tennessee. 1975.

Way, William. The Clinchfield railroad: the story of a trade route across the Blue Ridge Mountains. 1931.

Westveer, Neal B. Railroad crossings of the Blue Ridge: 1879- 1909. 1990.

Educational Media

Long Steel Rail: Southern Mountain Railroads, a 30-minute videotape, is available for 30-day loan from the Archives. The tape examines the history and development of railroads in the region through historical photographs, rare recordings of railroad songs and work chants, and interviews with individuals who worked for the railroads.