The idea of moving heavy goods by rail came to
the United States from England, where horse-drawn carts on iron
rails had been used in the mines since the sixteenth century.
In the 1830s a group of Bowling Green entrepreneurs adopted this
English system. The Portage Rail Way, opened in 1836, hauled
passengers and goods in mule-drawn wagons to and from the Barren
River--then the area's major "highway"--and the center
of town.
Louisville
and Nashville Railroad
The steam-powered locomotive, an English invention
of the late 1830s, proved to be a significant solution to moving
passengers and goods great distances. It was fast, relatively
inexpensive to construct and reliable in all kinds of weather.
Americans along the east coast caught "railroad fever."
In the late 1840s and 1850 a group of Kentuckians formed the
Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company and began planning
the construction of a railroad between the upper South's two
largest towns.
Two routes were considered. One ran through Elizabethtown,
Bowling Green, and Franklin. The second route linked Louisville
and Nashville via Bardstown, Glasgow, and Scottsville. The latter,
the company's preferred route, bypassed three expensive engineering
obstacles--Muldraugh's Hill, the Green River and the Tennessee
Ridge. The L&N hinted that local pledges would help determine
the decision of which route to build. Realizing that a railroad
was a necessity to the town's continued economic growth, Bowling
Green businessmen obtained a charter from the Tennessee legislature
to build a line from Bowling Green to Nashville, a project for
which they expected to spend a million dollars. Fearing the competition
and hoping to obtain for their own project whatever moneys were
available, L&N officials announced they intended to build
the Elizabethtown-Bowling Green route.
Work began in 1853 and the last tracks were laid
near Bowling Green in the summer of 1859. Service between Bowling
Green and Nashville began in August and two months later, following
the completion of the iron bridge across the Barren River, company
officials and their guests made the first Louisville to Nashville
trip with a great deal of fanfare. The line between Bowling Green
and Memphis opened in the autumn of 1860.
The
Railroad and the Civil War
The railroad, which served as an economic blessing
to the area, also placed it in jeopardy during the Civil War.
As a major link between the upper South's largest cities, the
L&N could provide both the Confederate and Union armies with
a quick invasion and supply route. Viewing Bowling Green as a
"doorway" between Union Kentucky and Confederate Tennessee,
each side coveted the town. The governor's proclamation of "neutrality"
delayed action throughout the summer of 1861 but in mid-September
Confederate troops rushed into Bowing Green and for five months
about 20,000 soldiers camped in the vicinity. Soldiers and civilians
alike expected a battle in the area, but it never took place.
In mid-February the Confederates evacuated south
central Kentucky. To prevent the enemy from using the railroad
to pursue them, they destroyed the railroad bridge over the Barren
River, the brick depot, machine shop, and roundhouse as well
as some of the railroad's rolling stock. Arriving the following
day, Union forces and the railroad company began plans to rebuild
the track and bridge and eventually also constructed another
depot.
Railroad
Depot
The wooden station built during the Civil War
served Bowling Green through the remainder of the nineteenth
century; decades of tremendous growth for both the town and for
railroad traffic. The postwar years witnessed the arrival and
debarkation of thousands of travelers and the exportation of
tons of dairy products, tobacco, strawberries and other agricultural
goods. Large blocks of building stone, quarried from around the
county, were sent to construction sites throughout the eastern
half of the nation and barrels of oil pumped from beneath Warren
and adjoining counties in the early 1920s filled tankers destined
for distant refineries. By the twentieth century the demands
on the depot far exceeded its capacity and the badly deteriorating
structure was an eyesore compared to impressive buildings nearby
that catered to the traveling public. Following many pleas and
much planning, a new station was constructed and opened with
considerable hoopla in 1924. Built in classical revival style
and of Bowing Green limestone, the structure served the community
until passenger service ended in 1979.
The L&N railroad provided more than just a
passenger and freight service to the people of the Bowling Green
area. For many years it was the town's major employer. Likewise
the new station was the source of community pride and its restaurant,
according to some, served the best meals in town. During World
War II soldiers en route to nearby military bases packed the
waiting room, snack bar and restaurant. At the height of railroad
travel, more than twenty passenger trains stopped each day at
the "white stone station."
Decline
in Railroad Use
The popularity of train travel waned after World
War II. The decline can be attributed to numerous causes but
the most obvious is the construction of an interstate highway
system. The U.S. Postal Service switched its contracts from trains
to trucks. Reports of derailments resulting from extended use
and neglect discouraged riders and increasing maintenance costs
rendered train travel less than economical. Although many area
industries still ship by rail, passenger service is no longer
available. On October 7, 1979 at 6:45 p.m. the last passenger
train traveled through Bowling Green, ending a service the town
had enjoyed for 120 years.
Adapted from the following
sources:
*Bowling Green's Classic Depot: Preserving the Past, A Gift
to the Future developed by the Center for Historic Preservation,
Middle Tennessee State University.
*Kincaid Herr's The Louisville and Nashville Railroad,
1850-1963
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