A Town Tied to the
RAILROAD BY ANDREW J. BRAMLETT
A piece of railroad money issued in April 1862. Image from the Georgia Archives.
The Western and Atlantic Depot in Atlanta before the Civil War. It was destroyed in 1864. Image from the Atlanta History Center. 26
AROUND KENNESAW | January 2022
While we celebrate the beginning of a new year, it is a good time to remember the beginnings of our town. The railroad responsible for the formation of Kennesaw nearly caused its destruction. The Erie Canal opened in New York to much fanfare in 1825. Built by the state, the canal brought a wave of economic prosperity to New York City. Other states took notice and began their own public works projects. Many of these projects were canals, but they also included a new technology: the railroad. Unfortunately for many states, neither canals nor railroads could cross the Appalachian Mountains. With most of the state south of the mountains, Georgia did not have this disadvantage, and capitalized on it. On Dec. 21, 1836, Georgia authorized the construction of the Western and Atlantic Railroad. Owned by the state, it would start south of the Chattahoochee River and end at Ross’s Landing (in present-day Chattanooga). Trains could travel from northern states to Augusta or Savannah, then travel west to the railroad’s southern terminus, and finally travel north along the Western and Atlantic to the other side of the mountains. This turned the railroad into the heart of the South’s railroad network. Col. Stephen Harriman Long was tasked with surveying the new route, which follows a similar path through North Georgia as today’s Interstate 75. The site chosen for the southern terminus was conveniently named Terminus, which eventually became Marthasville, and later was renamed Atlanta. Construction began on the railroad in 1838, and by 1845 it had reached Marietta. As construction progressed north, a community of shanties was founded at the highest point between the Chattahoochee and Etowah rivers. The small community was called the
