Freight Wagon - Cartersville, GA
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 34° 09.947 W 084° 47.758
16S E 703160 N 3782732
Usually hand or animal pulled, or pushed from depot to train car...
Waymark Code: WM10W4P
Location: Georgia, United States
Date Posted: 06/30/2019
Views: 2
County of cart: Bartown County
Location of cart: #1 Friendship Plaza, Cartersville
This cart, or wagon, was used to load items, either brought in by passengers or companies, to be placed in the baggage car...
The REA or Railway Express, (REA) used them often...most shipping done by individuals was done this way..trains...
"The Western and Atlantic (W & A) line began construction in 1838 and by 1850 through-train service was
instituted. Cartersville was on the line between Chattanooga and Atlanta, two growing rail centers. In 1854,
the W & A built a depot in Cartersville. The rail line through the center of town shifted Cartersville's economy
from primarily agricultural pursuits to industry, trade, and commerce. By 1872, Cartersville had grown in size
to a point where it was incorporated as a city and it became an important regional transportation center.
Industry began to locate in and around the city, as indicated by the existence of the W & A railroad car factory
in Cartersville in 1873.
"By 1885, the East and West Railroad (E & W) of Alabama had constructed a second depot in Cartersville,
north of the W & A. Serving for many years as the Seaboard Airline depot, this building stood until 1918. The
W & A and E & W depots, along with the 1869 courthouse, were the landmark buildings near the town's Public
Square until commercial establishments began to surround the depots. Many industries in the area relied on
the railroad through Cartersville to ship their products, which allowed the viable commercial district in
downtown Cartersville to emerge in the late 1800s. After passenger trains stopped arriving in downtown
Cartersville in the 1950s, CSX proposed to demolish the historic W & A depot and construct a new station at
another location. The depot was underused for a long period of time until 1972, when the freight storage and
platform portions of it were demolished. Today, the passenger area of the depot remains and has since been
rehabilitated; it is now a visitors center and also houses the Downtown Development Authority." ~ NRHP Nomination Form