Untitled (Georgia Railroad and Banking Company)
2,200 feet to the southwest at a place indicated by a marker of the Georgia Historical Commission, Georgia Railroad and Banking Company on May 21, 1837 operated the first railroad in Georgia. It is the oldest railroad in Georgia continuously operating under its original charter which was granted by the General Assembly, on December 21, 1833.
Though extensive portions of its lines were destroyed by Sherman, it carried without charge 100,000 Confederate soldiers to their homes after the War. It did a banking business from 1835 to 1892, which business has since been conducted by its affiliate, Georgia Railroad Bank & Trust Company. It still redeems its bank notes issued during the War Between the States and, since its completion, has never failed to pay a dividend except for the last War year, 1865.
Plaque courtesy Lat34North.com.
Original page, with additional info, here.
Photo credit: TheConaways.