|
|
Other Southwest Mississippi Railroads which are featured
in a special section of the museum. |
 | Liberty White
Railroad:
Completed in
1904, this railroad stretched 25 miles from McComb to Liberty.
It also ran to New Holmesville and Tylertown at one time. It had a
narrow gauge branch from Irene to Keiths which was near Gillsburg. J.J.
White, the owner, known as the "Baron of Yellow Pine" was
the first man to build a tram railroad in the state of Mississippi solely
for the purpose of hauling logs to a sawmill. The railroad was dissolved in
1921 when it became no longer profitable. |
|
| Fernwood, Columbia & Gulf
Railroad: In
the late 1800's, Isaac C. Enochs along with his brothers began Fernwood
Lumber Company, which was to become one of South Mississippi's largest
lumber mills. A steam locomotive used to transport logs from cutting areas
to the mill became the first railroad of the lumber company.
By 1910, the company had nine steam locomotives, seventy-five cars and two
log loaders. On March 31, 1906, the Fernwood
& Gulf Railroad was incorporated
as a common carrier. The common carrier extended 20.3 miles from Fernwood to
Tylertown.
In 1910, the line was extended 11.59
miles to Kokomo. Finally, in 1919 the line was completed to Foxworth, an
addition of 9.55 miles. In 1920, the Fernwood & Gulf Railroad
became the Fernwood, Columbia & Gulf Railroad when
trackage rights were obtained from New Orleans Great Northern using
its 268 mile rail to Columbia, Mississippi. Thus the main line of the
FC&G was completed and would be used for the next 52 years until
its merger with the Illinois Central in 1972. |
|
| Summit and McComb Motor Line:
Fabius
Godbold dug a well on property that is now Southwest Mississippi Community
College to supply water for a sawmill. Because the water had a
"funny" odor and taste, Dr. Vol Simmons had it analyzed- it tested
high in calcium. Word spread and people flocked to the Summit Mineral Wells,
chartered in 1873. The well proved beneficial for stomach, liver, and kidney
ailments and by 1910, the resort "Godbold Well's" was established.
The first spike for the Summit and McComb Motor Line was driven in 1910; the
grand opening for the bustling spa was July 4, 1910. The accident-free
railway transported people in an open-air trolley. Some 8,000 people
attended the free celebration. Senator Leroy Percy, Kit Dalton
of the Dalton
Gang, and once-outlaw Frank James, the brother of Jesse, gave speeches.
Joint owners Dr. Vol Simmons, C. V. Ratcliff, and Ted Blackmore intended to
make Godbold Wells the "Coney Island of the South". The resort had
an electric lighted, water worked hotel. On the 160 acres they had golf
linked, tennis courts, a ballpark, and a 35-acre lake surrounded by
comfortable cottages. The hotel would later burn and the spa deteriorated.
The rail line was no longer needed. |
|
 
|
