The Northeastern Railroad was chartered in 1870 by the

Georgia General Assembly The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each of the General Assembly's 236 members serve two-year terms and are directl ...

to meet this request by the state, and the new railroad opened its first 39 miles on September 1, 1876, from

Athens, Georgia Athens is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Downtown Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta. The University of Georgia, the state's flagship public university and an Research I university, ...

, to

Lula, Georgia Lula is a city in Hall County, Georgia, Hall and Banks County, Georgia, Banks counties in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The population was 2,822 at the 2020 census, and the town has both Hall and Banks county zoning. Lula is t ...

. A second line was opened in 1882 from

Cornelia, Georgia Cornelia is a city in Habersham County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,160 at the 2010 census, up from 3,674 at the 2000 census. It is home to one of the world's largest apple sculptures, which is displayed on top of an obelisk-sh ...

, to

Tallulah Falls, Georgia Tallulah Falls is a town in Habersham and Rabun counties in the U.S. state of Georgia near the Tallulah River. The population was 199 at the 2020 census. History The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Tallulah Falls as a town in 1885. The c ...

. The railroad never paid dividends to its stockholders and it was later sold before construction could reach Clayton. The Cornelia-Tallulah Falls line was purchased in 1887 by the newly chartered Blue Ridge and Atlantic Railroad, also doomed to fail. While in the hands of the

Tallulah Falls Railway The Tallulah Falls Railway, also known as the Tallulah Falls Railroad, "The TF" and "TF & Huckleberry," was a railroad based in Tallulah Falls, Georgia, U.S. which ran from Cornelia, Georgia to Franklin, North Carolina. It was commissioned by t ...

, these tracks were extended all the way to

Franklin, North Carolina Franklin is a town in and the county seat of Macon County, North Carolina, United States. It is situated within the Nantahala National Forest. The population was reported to be 4,175 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, an increase from ...

, before they were abandoned; they are no longer in operation. The Athens-Lula line was consolidated into the Southern Railway Company in 1899.Davis, 1985, p. 32. These tracks are now owned by

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...

. This railroad was largely responsible for the economic development of the following cities, each being a stop on the line (shown here from north to south, with counties): Athens - Lula line * Lula (on the

Banks A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. As banks ...

and

Hall In architecture, a hall is a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age and the Early Middle Ages in northern Europe, a mead hall was where a lord and his retainers ate and also slept. Later in the Middle Ages, the gre ...

county line) * Gillsville (

) * Maysville (on the

and

Jackson Jackson may refer to: Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson South, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson oil field in Durham, ...

county line) * Harmony Grove (

) *

Nicholson Nicholson may refer to: People *Nicholson (name), a surname, and a list of people with the name Places Australia * Nicholson, Victoria * Nicholson, Queensland * Nicholson County, New South Wales * Nicholson River (disambiguation) * Nicholson Ro ...

(

) *

Center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

(

) *

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

(

Clarke Clarke is a surname which means "clerk". The surname is of English and Irish origin and comes from the Latin . Variants include Clerk and Clark. Clarke is also uncommonly chosen as a given name. Irish surname origin Clarke is a common surname ...

) Cornelia - Tallulah Falls line *

Tallulah Falls The Tallulah Gorge is a canyon in the southern Appalachian Mountains of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S.), Georgia. Located near the town of Tallulah Falls, Georgia, Tallulah Falls in the northeastern part of the state, the gorge was formed by t ...

( Habersham) * Tallulah Lodge ( Habersham) * Tallulah Park ( Habersham) * Turnerville ( Habersham) *

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

( Habersham) * Anandale ( Habersham) * Clarkesville ( Habersham) * Demorest ( Habersham) * Cornelia ( Habersham)

Citations

References

* Davis, Burke. ''The Southern Railway: Road of the Innovators.'' Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1985. {{DEFAULTSORT:Northeastern Railroad Georgia Defunct Georgia (U.S. state) railroads Predecessors of the Southern Railway (U.S.) Railway companies established in 1854 Railway companies disestablished in 1895 American companies established in 1854