-Chapter V- GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
The L&N Railroad
Perhaps no event affected the course of history in Murray County more than the building of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. The changes and growth brought about by this project have been alluded to several times but the following letter written by former Confederate soldier and county tax collector M.M. Welch in 1907 captures the feeling of that era. Writing to his brother-in-law, Richard Bramblett, in Oklahoma, the 70-year-old Welch said:
"... I will drop you a line to let you know that 1 am still on the land among the living, though tar advanced in the evening of life . . . This country has changed since you left here-considerably. There is a railroad running from Cartersville to ... Tennessee. It comes through Carters Quarter right up the Federal Road and through Pleasant Valley and . . . Alaculsay . . . Several towns started up along the line to wit Ramherst at the Hawkins old stand, Chatsworth at the old ... Pack? Place. Eaton at Clint Keith's in Pleasant Valley, Crandall at the Rob Bates Place, Cisco at the old Cogburn Place in Alaculsa, and Tanga on the Tennessee Line . . . Wages is high here and labor scarce.
The L&N had tried to obtain a railroad from Cincinnati to Atlanta without leasing or paying other companies for use of their tracks. After reaching Knoxville and then Etowah by 1904, plans were soon underway to connect Etowah, Cartersville, and Marietta with Atlanta. Naturally the most direct route was through Murray County and construction began in 1905. The work was completed on April 1, 1906 with depots built at Tennga, Cisco, Crandall, Eton, Chatsworth, and Ramhurst.
Many Murray Countians had hoped for a railroad for many years. Several had even invested in two earlier attempts to get tracks laid from the mountains in eastern Murray to Dalton at least. Lewis Richardson wrote in a 1979 letter to the Historical Society's Conway Gregory, Jr. that "the money ran out" and that the Dalton and Alaculsey road "collapsed when it became evident that the large and powerful L&N" would be completed. "There was no need for an east-west road. While there is no doubt that some people took a loss when the road folded, the principal backers were the owners of large timber tracts in the mountains. The building of the L&N very possibly allowed these gentlemen to recoup their losses."
For many years the L&N stations in Murray County were beehives of activity. Other stops such as Carters. Coniston, and Fairy were added, and many Murray men such as conductor Ed Kelly, section foreman James A. Howard, and Miles Bramblett found employment on the L&N. The "short dog" train which made daily runs from Etowah to Cartersville also stopped at the other stations. Many residents took advantage of this local service due to the existence of several "flag-stops" where a lantern was put out to alert the engineer that a passenger wanted to board. President Franklin Roosevelt once spent the night in his private car, stopped at the Chatsworth depot on his way to or from Warm Springs.
During the 1960's many changes occurred in America's railroad system and Murray County felt the changes. By this time all of Murray's stations except Chatsworth had closed and now passenger service was discontinued. More automobiles and better highways took the place of the trains.
A 1975 article by local writer Olivene Godfrey reported that Chatsworth was "the only Louisville and Nashville Railway intermediate station still operating in Georgia." At that time 18 or 20 freight trains passed through Chatsworth each day. Freight agents Miles Anderson, John Reeves, Alan McCroskey, and Edward Lea continued to "dispatch orders by hanging them out on a stick for the engineer to catch" as the train passed the depot. The station was also the base for a Signal Maintenance man and a 10-person track repair crew.
Eighty years after its construction, the Chatsworth depot is still in use despite persistent rumors that the station is about to close. Several groups and individuals have expressed their concern about the future of the last Murray County depot to the Railroad Company.
Murray County Heritage