Alabama and Tennessee River Railroad
| Company type | Company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Railroad |
| Founded | March 4, 1848 |
| Founder | John Anderson Dilliard |
| Headquarters | Alabama , United States |
Area served | Alabama, Georgia |
Alabama and Tennessee River Rail Road Company was established in Alabama on March 4, 1848, with John Anderson Dilliard as its leading shareholder. Dilliard, a native of Decatur, Alabama, also held significant ownership in the Lagrange and Memphis Railroad, which later evolved into the Memphis and Charleston Railroad.
The enterprise built approximately 135 miles of railroad connecting Selma, Alabama to Blue Mountain, Alabama, including an additional stretch of roughly 22.5 miles extending toward Dalton, Georgia, completed in 1862.
Between May and August 1866, A. D. Breed managed the railway under a lease agreement from the Union Railroad Trust, focusing on repairing the line and advancing the extension.
Following the American Civil War, former Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston assumed the presidency from May 1866 until November 1867. During this period, on August 6, 1866, the Alabama and Tennessee River Rail Road Company merged with the Georgia and Alabama Rail Road Company and Dalton and Jacksonville Railroad Company, creating the Selma, Rome and Dalton Railroad Company. This merger received legislative approval from both Georgia and Alabama by early 1867.
In 1870, the Selma, Rome and Dalton Railroad either constructed or refurbished 100.3 miles of track spanning from Blue Mountain to Dalton. The funding for these projects primarily came from consolidated first- and second-mortgage bonds carrying a seven percent interest rate.
The Georgia section of this railroad was sold through foreclosure in November 1874 and transferred to the Georgia Southern Railroad Company by March 1876; this company was subsequently acquired by the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad Company in November 1880. Meanwhile, the Alabama portion faced foreclosure in June 1880 and was obtained by East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad Company in early 1881.
The East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad Company entered receivership in January 1885, was sold at foreclosure in May 1886, and ownership passed to the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railway Company by June of that year.
Eventually, on July 7, 1894, this network became part of the Southern Railway Company through its acquisition of the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railway Company.
See also
References
- Interstate Commerce Commission. Southern Ry. Co., Volume 37, Interstate Commerce Commission Valuation Reports, November 6, 1931. Washington: United States Government Printing Office, 1932. .
- Symonds, Craig L. Joseph E. Johnston: A Civil War Biography. New York: W. W. Norton, 1992. .