A Railroad is Born

A Railroad is Born. Camak and the 1st Georgia Rail Road. Athenian James Camak was the driving force behind the founding of the Georgia Rail Road Company, the first successful railroad in the state., The Georgia Rail Road Company was created to give Athens manufacturers a reliable transportation connection to Augusta and the Savannah River. The Charleston and Hamburg Railroad in South Carolina terminated just across the Savannah River from Augusa, giving Athens potential access to the Charleston seaport. It was incorporated in 1833 and in March 1834, several prominent Ahens community leaders met in James Camak's Meigs Street home to organize the Georgia Rail Road. Camas was elected as the railroad's first president. The first cars were drawn by mules over the branch line from Union Point to Athens in 1841, and steam engines replaced the mules in 1847., (captions) , The Camak House, located on the block surrounded by Hancock, Newton, Meigs and Finley Streets, was one of the first houses constructed in the Prince Avenue area of Athens. It was built in the early 1830s and was the site of the organizational meeting of the Georgia Rail Road. Including President James Camak, those selected as the first directors of the Georgia Rail Road read like a who's who of early Georgia and railroad history. , Above photo courtesy of Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, UGA Libraries., 1839 map of the Georgia Railroad and connecting lines., Construction of the Georgia Rail Road began in Augusta in 1835 and reached Athens in 1841. In 1836, he name was changed to Georgia Rail Road and Banking Company. Shown above is an Athens 1842 stock certificate signed by James Camak., 1842 Georgia Rail Road six wheel connected locomotive by Baldwin Locomotive Works.