Athens Gets Connected

Athens Gets Connected. Railroad Trestles. the Georgia Rail Road did not cross the Oconee River into Athens until 1883 when Athens investors completed trestles over Trail Creek and the North Oconee River to liberate the railroad from its Carr's Hill terminus and bring it into downtown., You are standing in front of one of the granite piers of the Oconee River trestle. The granite was hauled from Stone Mountain by the Georgia Rail Road. In the 1940s, the trestles were further elevated, as evidenced by the concrete extensions, atop the North Oconee's granite piers., The trestles allowed the rapid growth of railroad business in Athens and propelled its economic prosperity in the late 1800s. After World War II, the need for trains began to decline with the common use of automobiles for travel and the interstate highway system for moving freight., (captions) , (Above): Early 1900s view of the Oconee River Seaboard trestle. (Right): George Cook's 1840s painting, "View of Athens from Carr's Hill" showing the train terminal on the east side of the river before the trestles were built. , Cook's 1840s painting courtesy of Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, UGA Libraries., Railroads were destined to become our safest means of transportation; however, in the early years, derailments were quite common. Shown above left is a 1913 Central of Georgia train and Athens trestle accident which killed 1 person and injured 2. The photo on the rights shows an Athens train derailment from the late 1800s. , Athens trestle accident photo courtesy of Les R. Winn , Athens derailment photo courtesy of Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library,UGA Libraries., Circa 1900 photo of railroad workers taking a break from building a train trestle., Circa 1900 photo of Seaboard Air Line Railroad passenger train crossing the trestle at North Avenue.