Abstract:
Chartered in 1849 and completed in 1856, the North Carolina Railroad was one of the longest lines of its day. Its 233 miles connected Western counties to the state's seaports and brought population and economic growth to the Piedmont. In 1895, the state, the line's main stockholder, leased the railroad to the Southern Railway for ninety-nine years. The state is considering what to do with the railroad when the lease expires in 1994.