Railroad Crossing

Railroad Crossing. On the Quilt Trail. , Trailhead of the Pickens-Easley Doodle Trail , 124 Railroad Street, Pickens, The origins of the Pickens railroad date back to December, 1890 when it was chartered by the state. The distance between the two towns was not very far, and at the Easley end of the line, the train connected with the Atlanta and Charlotte Air Line Railroad which would become part of the Southern Railway. The Doodle line itself carries a rich history of industry and economy important to both towns. From its first date of operation in 1898 until 2013, the Doodle line hauled a variety of goods to and from Easley and Pickens., Locals nicknamed the railroad the “Pickens Doodle” because the freight engine could not be turned around and had to run backwards from Easley to Pickens, looking like a doodlebug. The first run of the train to Easley had a foreboding start, as some local kids placed spikes on the rails to see if anything would happen. It certainly did, causing the trail to “jump” the track and derail!, This is the scenario that our Doodle quilt block depicts. With the aid of John Howard, of the Hagood Community Center in Pickens, the quilters were able to do a photo transfer of the locomotive first used on the first Doodle run. With care, they cut and padded the fabric to appear to be jumping off the rails., Using a traditional railroad crossing block pattern, the two quilters, Lucy Harward and Cindy Blair, created a one-of-a-kind memorial to the Pickens Doodle Rail Road. The UHQT Production team then took the next step, transferring the image of the quilt onto the sign board for installation on the side of the Rail road car behind the Doodle engine that stands at the corner of Highway 8 and Railroad St. in the City of Pickens. Upon retirement 18 years ago, she and Dale, moved back to Pickens where Lucy grew up and attended her daddy’s church, Grace Methodist, went to school at Pickens Junior and Senior High, and walked down the old Doodle Trail with her friend Jane Eckman so many years ago. Cindy Blair, who assisted Lucy with the making of the quilt, is a more recent arrival, retiring to the upstate in 2001, and moving to a small farm outside Six Mile in 2008. Although she can sew a “straight line,” Cindy devotes her time to the Upstate Heritage Quilt Trail, where she serves as Pickens County Studio coordinator and Pickens County representative and secretary on the board. She also boasts 4 quilt blocks on her property and has worked with the UHQT team since its inception in 2009.