Full Steam Ahead!

Full Steam Ahead!. The Macon-Athens Railway Fueled Progress. In the mid-1800s, it was hand to get around in Clarke County. Roads were rutted and unpaved, and large cargo boats struggled to navigate the Oconee River. By 1888, Athens was a small but growing city. That summer and fall workers laid tracks for a new railway that would connect residents and businesses to Macon and beyond., Once complete, the Macon Athens Railway wound through farmland and forests. It stopped at textile mills like the Georgia Factory and the Athens Manufacturing Company. In Athens, railcars shuttled materials and products through the heart of the city. This also cut across the University of Georgia campus and delivered coal that kept students warm in the winter., The Athens Branch was part of the expansive Central of Georgia railroad, or COG. The COG linked Athens to other cities and markets across the Southeast. Today, the railway's inactive route in Athens is still visible, including tracks, embankments, and a train depot. These remnants help show the engineering and innovation that put Athens on the map. The Athens Branch of the COG is significant to the history of transportation and engineering in Athens and statewide., (Captions) , "A large squad of hands are now at work day and night building the trestling for the [railroad] in Athens." -The Macon Telegraph, September 24, 1888, "...the conductor could shake hands with the engineer, and get a chew of tobacco." -Georgia Governor Nat E. Harris joking about the railroad's sharp curves. Quote from Recollection of the Athens District by George Harwood in The Right Way 18, No. 1 (January-March 2014):4-9., "...now a car can pass straight through from Tampa, Florida via Jacksonville and Macon and Athens to New York City." -The Macon Telegrapph, December 21, 1888, All photographic and graphic images are Courtesy of Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library/University of Georgia Libraries., (Below) This map from 1908 shows the CofGa's "Macon and Northern Division" (later the Athens District) from M&A Junction (just east of Macon) to Athens, Ga. Note the crossing at Machen with the "Middle Georgia and Atlantic Division" (later the Covington District). (Collection of the Central of Georgia Raliway Historical Society).", (Bottom) Warehouse and Railroad Cars, c.1910. The rail line drove industrial growth in the heart of Athens., (Map) Central of Georgia: The Right Way The Central of Georgia railroad linked Athens to cities across Georgia and beyond., (Right) College of Agriculture, c.1910 From 1907 to 1915, the College of Agriculture sent farm specialists around the state via train to give rail car lectures to thousands of spectators. This program was affectionately known as a "college on wheels."