Rome Railroad
Incorporated on Dec. 21, 1839 as the Memphis Branch Railroad and Steamboat Co. of Georgia, this was the first railroad in the South designated to connect steamboat traffic to railroads. In Dec., 1849 the 18 mile track from Kingston to Rome was completed. From Rome, cotton and other commodities were shipped downriver on the Coosa to Gadsden, Alabama and two other points.
In April, 1862 to the "William R. Smith" on the Rome Railroad picked up the chase in Kingston to pursue the Andrew Raiders during the Great Locomotive Chase. In July, 1864 the Rome RR was taken over by the U.S. Military and played a key role in sending troops from Rome to the Allatoona Pass Battle which averted a Union Military disaster.
In Oct., 1943 the "Little Rome RR" made its last run.
Plaque courtesy Lat34North.com.
Original page, with additional info, here.
Photo credit: Byron Hooks of Lat34North.com.