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ORGANIZATION AND DEVELOPMENT
ORIGIN OF THE COUNTY.
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RAILROADS
Illinois Central Railroad. - With
the application of steam to locomotion a
new era dawned, and all systems of
internal improvement founded upon
wagon-ways, or in constant streams of
internal improvement founded upon
wagon-ways, or in constant streams, were
revolutionized. With the building
of the railroads the great advantage of
the National road was lost, and the
public clamored for this new power that
was to revolutionize the age.
Situated, as it is, remote from
navigable streams, and from large
centers of trade, Cumberland County for
years seriously felt the need of
railroad facilities, and as one part
after another of the State felt the
invigorating influence of this new agent
of civilization, it receded by contrast
until what was a leading, enterprising
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Peoria, Decatur & Evansville
Railroad. - The brilliant success of
the "Central" gave rise to a general
desire among certain capitalists to try
this sort of speculation, and, in 1855,
a road was projected from Mattoon to
Grayville, on the Wabash River. A
charter was finally secured Feb. 6,
1867, but up to 1876 nothing had been
accomplished in the way of grading.
A part of the original plan was to find
an outlet through Indiana, and the Mount
Vernon & Grayville Railroad Company was
the name of the Indiana division.
To the construction of this road the
terminal county had voted a large
subscription, which was subsequently
diverted to the building of a new
courthouse. The first spike had
been driven on this division in the
early part of 1871, and some five miles
of the road graded and laid with rail,
but the treacherous action of the people
at the terminal
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PORTRAIT
David B. Green
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Danville, Olney & Ohio River
Railroad. - This was a narrow-gauge
railroad, the ...
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Toledo, Cincinnati & Saint Louis
Railroad. - This is a link in the
system.....
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