Old Railroad Bed - Sheffield, AL
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Lat34North
N 34° 46.759 W 087° 39.992
16S E 439014 N 3848772
This two sided marker is located on Ashe Blvd., Sheffield, AL, at the Tennessee River. Parking is available.
Waymark Code: WMHFKW
Location: Alabama, United States
Date Posted: 07/05/2013
Views: 4
The marker reads:
Side 1
Ashe Boulevard was built on the early railroad bed which connected Florence and Southport to the main railroad line in Tuscumbia. Trains first traveled along the railroad bed and across the Tennessee River in 1858 after the Memphis and Charleston Railroad replaced the old Florence Bridge with a double-decked bridge. The upper deck was used for trains to transport passengers and freight. The lower deck was open to the public as a toll road. Large warehouses once lined both sides of the railroad bed to accommodate a busy cotton trade. In 1864, over 29,000 Confederate troops camped and assembled around this site before crossing the Tennessee River, prior to the Battle of Franklin in Middle Tennessee.
Side 2
In 1904, the Sheffield Development Company replaced local passenger train service with streetcars which utilized the railroad tracks until 1933. The railroad was abandoned in 1988 by the Norfolk-Southern Railroad Company and was donated in 1993 to the Old Railroad Bridge Company with the adjoining right-of-way. In 1995, this property, minus the bridge, was given to the City of Sheffield. The railroad bed was paved by the city in 1999 and named Ashe Boulevard in memory of Laughlin Ashe, Mayor of Sheffield from 1992 until his death in 1995.
Sponsored by the Old Railroad Bridge Company and Colbert County Historical Landmarks Foundation
Marker Name: Old Railroad Bed
Marker Type: Urban
Addtional Information::
The original bridge was a covered bridge across the Tennessee River. In 1858, the bridge was converted to a wooden double decker bridge. Trains used the upper level while horses, wagons and pedestrians used the lower level. Eventual the wooded structure failed while a train was crossing the river. The old wooden bridge was replaced by a steel structure. The bridge was still in use after the introduction of the automobile. Today you can walk on the lower bridge for a great view of the Tennessee River.
Date Dedicated / Placed: 2010
Marker Number: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
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