Latest update: 15 November 2022 includes additions about the Model Trains exhibit and library closure schedule for the end of 2022 and New Year's Day holidays.- Grace Cordial
Today I am going to use "Railroads Once Were Vital to Beaufort's Economy" by Gerhard Spieler from the Beaufort Gazette, August 12, 1997, p. 11A as the base for a brief exploration of railroad history in Beaufort District. I will indicate my editorial remarks and/or supplemental information with red italics to indicate updated content and sources.
Railroads once were vital to Beaufort's economy
Studies are under way on the feasibility of running a tourist train on 25 miles of track between Port Royal and Yemassee. The train would be in addition to the limited cargo service on that line now.
The tourist train idea did not get sufficient traction to become a reality and limited cargo service ceased on November 26, 2003. In 2008 Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer Authority acquired the right-of-way to use as a utility corridor. After years of discussion, efforts to set up a walking/biking "Beaufort Rail Trail" began to flower once the BJW&SA granted a surface easement to Beaufort County to develop 14 miles of the corridor as a recreational trail in January 2011. The tracks were ripped up in stages between 2011 and 2015. The Spanish Moss Trail opened in 2013 and now occupies 10 miles of the former line. The trail is included in the TrailLink system of the Rails to Trails Conservancy.
BTW: We helped with the historic markers near the Old Depot trailhead. There are iPhone and iPad apps available for following the Spanish Moss Trail. Newspaper and magazine clippings about the history of the Port Royal Railroad Company and various ideas about what to do with the rail bed are in a permanent vertical file in our Research Room. Please be sure to make an appointment to view the BDC materials: bdc@bcgov.net or 843-255-6468.
There was a period when railroads were the chief link between Beaufort and the outside world; they provided both passenger and freight service. Freight trains brought commercial cargoes to Beaufort and carried farm produce to Northern markets. Many small Lowcountry towns such as Denmark, Norway, Port Royal, Yemassee and Sweden owe their origin and existence to railroads.
Lowcountry historian William Whitten has one of the "few remaining passenger coaches" at his home in Port Royal. Whitten wrote in the Hilton Head Report that the 66-foot-long car was" on the round-trip run from Port Royal to Augusta from about the turn of the century to World War II."
Beaufort's only freight warehouse, located on Depot Road, was retired and later demolished in 1974.
Built in 1908, it was owned and used last by the Seaboard Coast Line. At one time, according to town historian John F. Morrall, the warehouse was the center of Beaufort's economic life, a place where town merchants met to talk as well as send and receive merchandise.
The Charleston and Savannah Railroad, completed shortly before the outbreak of the Civil War, was the first railroad to operate in county limits. Located on the mainland, it was an important link in Confederate military control and in providing quick service between Charleston and Savannah.
In 1869, a memorial of the Port Royal Railroad Co. stated "that the Company is engaged in building a railroad from Port Royal Harbor, in the State of South Carolina, to Augusta in the State of Georgia ... Your petitioner aims not only to construct a railroad, but also build a city."
The railroad was completed by 1874, and in the same year the new town of Port Royal received its state charter. Docks were constructed to serve ships from northern states as well as Europe. Ships even furnished passenger service to European ports. The railroad carried truck farm produce to inland markets.
Financing prospects for the Port Royal Railroad turned out to be less promising than expected. Directors of the Georgia Railroad agreed in 1872 "to endorse $1 million of the first-mortgage bonds...."
After protests and threats of legal action by stock-and bond-holders, the sum was lowered to $500,000 and the board of directors was "paid for its endorsement by the transfer of enough stock to allow it to control the Port Royal Railroad Company."
By 1915, the Charleston-to-Savannah Railroad began laying a railroad spur to connect Jasper, Bluffton and lower Beaufort County to the main line.
"Cotton, corn, beans and potatoes... would have been useless without a way to get them to market in the early parts of this century," according to Fran Smith in a 1982 article in The Island Packet.
I wish that Spieler had said what issue this article was in but newspaper articles seldom provide such citations. It would have been particularly helpful because we do not have an index to our newspapers. If you'd like to come into the BDC Research Room we'll be happy to set you up with the microfilm reader/printer and the reel of the 1982 Island Packet issues so you can locate the precise article.
The line was operated later by the Seaboard Coastline Railroad, but by 1973 the company sought permission to abandon that stretch. Many of the cargoes once carried by the railroad now came and went by trucks, over new highways and bridges.
In 1978, the last freight shipments on the railroad spur were unloaded at Levy Station in Jasper County.
Capt. Charles N. Barnum, in a 1967 paper presented to the Beaufort County Historical Society, described passenger service from Beaufort in 1929:
Earlier, in August 1896, the Palmetto Post reported the "Sale of the Port Royal and Augusta Railway." In 1915, The Gazette reported "Seaboard Air Line Puts Beaufort County on its Main Line" and in October 1917, "Service on the new Seaboard Air Line Begins."
Look at the "All Aboard! Railroads in Beaufort District and beyond" post on the BDC's WordPress blog for additional links and materials.
We are thankful for our decade long partnership with the Lowcountry Digital Library. They provide technical assistance, preservation, and hosting of the digital images to make some of our materials available over the internet.
Note well: The eagerly anticipated model trains exhibit will be at Beaufort Branch from 13 December through 17 December in 2022. Contact: library@bcgov.net or call 843-255-6456 for details.
Note as well: The "Pouring on the Steam" cartoon is from the 1951 Beaufortonian, the Beaufort High School yearbook. We have a good collection of yearbooks in the Research Room.
There was a period when railroads were the chief link between Beaufort and the outside world; they provided both passenger and freight service. Freight trains brought commercial cargoes to Beaufort and carried farm produce to Northern markets. Many small Lowcountry towns such as Denmark, Norway, Port Royal, Yemassee and Sweden owe their origin and existence to railroads.
Lowcountry historian William Whitten has one of the "few remaining passenger coaches" at his home in Port Royal. Whitten wrote in the Hilton Head Report that the 66-foot-long car was" on the round-trip run from Port Royal to Augusta from about the turn of the century to World War II."
Beaufort's only freight warehouse, located on Depot Road, was retired and later demolished in 1974.
Built in 1908, it was owned and used last by the Seaboard Coast Line. At one time, according to town historian John F. Morrall, the warehouse was the center of Beaufort's economic life, a place where town merchants met to talk as well as send and receive merchandise.
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| Arnsberger Collection, BDC, LCDL |
The Charleston and Savannah Railroad, completed shortly before the outbreak of the Civil War, was the first railroad to operate in county limits. Located on the mainland, it was an important link in Confederate military control and in providing quick service between Charleston and Savannah.
First passengers climbed aboard the C&S Railroad on April 21, 1860. The trip between the two cities took approximately nine hours each way. The train leaving Charleston set off at 7:40 am while the train leaving Savannah left at 9:00 am.
In 2008, H. David Stone, Jr. examined the operation of the C&S RR in his book Vital Rails: The Charleston and Savannah Railroad and the Civil War in Coastal South Carolina. His book is available for check-out through the Local History sections of the Beaufort County Library as well as in the BDC's Research Room. The supplemental information about the date and schedule are from pp. 32-33 of Vital Rails.)
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| Gift of Nancy Guthridge, former docent, BDC |
We have a copy of Petition of members of the Constitutional Convention of South Carolina, praying aid to the Port Royal Railroad Company in completing its road from Port Royal to Augusta, Georgia [Pamphlet article], 1868. Call # is SC 975.799 PET
The railroad was completed by 1874, and in the same year the new town of Port Royal received its state charter. Docks were constructed to serve ships from northern states as well as Europe. Ships even furnished passenger service to European ports. The railroad carried truck farm produce to inland markets.
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Parts of the railroad parts of it opened in 1871 as this advertisement from the Beaufort County Republican, December 21, 1871 p. 3 advertisement shown on the left attests.
Financing prospects for the Port Royal Railroad turned out to be less promising than expected. Directors of the Georgia Railroad agreed in 1872 "to endorse $1 million of the first-mortgage bonds...."
After protests and threats of legal action by stock-and bond-holders, the sum was lowered to $500,000 and the board of directors was "paid for its endorsement by the transfer of enough stock to allow it to control the Port Royal Railroad Company."
The railroad had found itself in financial difficulties from the start. After staring service March 1, 1873, the company defaulted on interest payments on its bonds by November. The railroad was sold at a foreclosure sale on June 6, to be succeeded by the Port Royal & Augusta Company.
The best explanation of the financial problems involved with the PR & A RR is "'Black an' Dusty, Goin' to Augusty:' A History of the Port Royal Railroad" by John Martin Davis, Jr. in the South Carolina Historical Magazine, vol. 105, (2004), pp. 198-225. Read it in our Research Room where we have the complete run of the magazine.
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| Arnsberger Collection, BDC, LCDL |
By 1915, the Charleston-to-Savannah Railroad began laying a railroad spur to connect Jasper, Bluffton and lower Beaufort County to the main line.
"Cotton, corn, beans and potatoes... would have been useless without a way to get them to market in the early parts of this century," according to Fran Smith in a 1982 article in The Island Packet.
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| Culp Collection, BDC, LCDL |
The line was operated later by the Seaboard Coastline Railroad, but by 1973 the company sought permission to abandon that stretch. Many of the cargoes once carried by the railroad now came and went by trucks, over new highways and bridges.
In 1978, the last freight shipments on the railroad spur were unloaded at Levy Station in Jasper County.
Capt. Charles N. Barnum, in a 1967 paper presented to the Beaufort County Historical Society, described passenger service from Beaufort in 1929:
There were two trains a day both ways at the Beaufort station. Going to Charleston would take about three hours. Going to Savannah took about four. Going either way required a change of trains, and the time taken was only an hour shorter than the normal running time of the regular boat to Savannah.
He shares very interesting historical tidbits about ferries, bridges, and the railroads. For example: The boats to Savannah left from a wharf on Bay Street. The railroad accommodations were coaches. Fresh air came in the open windows during the summer only. You can read Barnum's "Records of Public Transportation in Beaufort County" in the BDC Research Room.
Through the years, first the Palmetto Post and then The Beaufort Gazette, recorded railroad news in their pages. A 1911 story in The Gazette reported a new through train from Port Royal to Augusta, Georgia. A November 1914 article headlined "Seaboard Railroad from Charleston to Savannah." An April 1918 story told of "Dale Station on Seaboard Air Line Doing Good Business."
Earlier, in August 1896, the Palmetto Post reported the "Sale of the Port Royal and Augusta Railway." In 1915, The Gazette reported "Seaboard Air Line Puts Beaufort County on its Main Line" and in October 1917, "Service on the new Seaboard Air Line Begins."
Look at the "All Aboard! Railroads in Beaufort District and beyond" post on the BDC's WordPress blog for additional links and materials.
Note well: The eagerly anticipated model trains exhibit will be at Beaufort Branch from 13 December through 17 December in 2022. Contact: library@bcgov.net or call 843-255-6456 for details.
Note as well: The "Pouring on the Steam" cartoon is from the 1951 Beaufortonian, the Beaufort High School yearbook. We have a good collection of yearbooks in the Research Room.
Third note, this one about holiday schedule: All units of the Beaufort County Library will be closed December 23 - December 26 on account of County policy regarding holidays falling on weekends. Christmas Day and New Year's Day both fall on a Sunday this year. Thus the Library will be closed on Monday, January 2, 2023.
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