Spartanburg and Union Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Spartanburg and Union Railroad was a shortline railroad that served the South Carolina Upstate region before, during and after the American Civil War
.
The company secured a charter from the South Carolina General Assembly in 1847 to built a line from Alston, South Carolina, on the Greenville and Columbia Railroad
line, to Spartanburg, South Carolina
.
Unable to raise enough capital on its own, the line turned to the state for financial assistance in 1850. Construction began in 1853, with the goal of grading the entire 60-mile stretch at once. This proved taxing on company coffers and by the fall of 1856, while some 40 miles of track had been laid and the carrier began handling traffic, material for the remainder was wanting and the line was still not making money. A bond offering by the company to raise more money was hurt by the Panic of 1857
and the company was forced to petition the state to issue bonds.
The state of South Carolina backed the issuance of 6 percent bonds to aid in the building of the road. The Spartanburg and Union was able to raise enough capital to complete the line by 1859. The total cost was approximately $1.25 million, of which the state contributed nearly half through stock subscriptions and bonds.
Like many South Carolina railroads, the Spartanburg and Union felt the wrath of invading Union forces during the War Between the States. The line suffered significant damage when Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's troops ravaged the state in 1865.
Around 1878, it became the Spartanburg, Union and Columbia Railroad
and later was incorporated into the Southern Railway
.
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
.
The company secured a charter from the South Carolina General Assembly in 1847 to built a line from Alston, South Carolina, on the Greenville and Columbia Railroad
Greenville and Columbia Railroad
The Greenville and Columbia Railroad was a railroad that served South Carolina in the 19th century.-Beginnings:The line traces its history back to 1845, when Greenville, South Carolina-area leaders Benjamin Perry, Waddy Thompson Jr., John T. Coleman and Joel Poinsett called a public meeting, this...
line, to Spartanburg, South Carolina
Spartanburg, South Carolina
thgSpartanburg is the largest city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. It is the second-largest city of the three primary cities in the Upstate region of South Carolina, and is located northwest of Columbia, west of Charlotte, and about northeast of...
.
Unable to raise enough capital on its own, the line turned to the state for financial assistance in 1850. Construction began in 1853, with the goal of grading the entire 60-mile stretch at once. This proved taxing on company coffers and by the fall of 1856, while some 40 miles of track had been laid and the carrier began handling traffic, material for the remainder was wanting and the line was still not making money. A bond offering by the company to raise more money was hurt by the Panic of 1857
Panic of 1857
The Panic of 1857 was a financial panic in the United States caused by the declining international economy and over-expansion of the domestic economy. Indeed, because of the interconnectedness of the world economy by the time of the 1850s, the financial crisis which began in the autumn of 1857 was...
and the company was forced to petition the state to issue bonds.
The state of South Carolina backed the issuance of 6 percent bonds to aid in the building of the road. The Spartanburg and Union was able to raise enough capital to complete the line by 1859. The total cost was approximately $1.25 million, of which the state contributed nearly half through stock subscriptions and bonds.
Like many South Carolina railroads, the Spartanburg and Union felt the wrath of invading Union forces during the War Between the States. The line suffered significant damage when Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's troops ravaged the state in 1865.
Around 1878, it became the Spartanburg, Union and Columbia Railroad
Spartanburg, Union and Columbia Railroad
The Spartanburg, Union and Columbia Railroad was a successor railroad to the Spartanburg and Union Railroad.Like the Spartanburg and Union, the line ran from Alston, South Carolina, to Spartanburg, South Carolina. It was sold under foreclosure in June 1880 and leased to the Columbia and Greenville...
and later was incorporated into the Southern Railway
Southern Railway (US)
The Southern Railway is a former United States railroad. It was the product of nearly 150 predecessor lines that were combined, reorganized and recombined beginning in the 1830s, formally becoming the Southern Railway in 1894...
.