Wilmington and Manchester Railroad

During the development of commerce in North and South Carolina, one of the biggest complaints among North Carolina shippers in the early 19th Century was that many NC farmers and producers would ship products along the natural course of the waterways towards Georgetown and Charleston, SC. With the rise of the railroads, this began to change.

The seaport at Wilmington, NC eventually became conneted to the vicinity of Sumter, SC via the Wilmington and Manchester Railroad. Most people know where Wilmington is, but Manchester? This terminus was westawards toward Columbia, SC. In the area known as the "high hills of the Santee" beyond the town of Sumterville, later to be known as Sumter.

The Wilmington and Manchester Railroad was chartered in 1847, and opened up 1854. This was a new line of communications, in that Florence was connected to Wilmington and Charleston, and freight could be shipped to either port at Wilmington or Charleston.This line eventually went bankrupt during Reconstruction and after suffering much damage at the hands of the Union armies. It became the Wilmington, Columbia & Augusta Railroad, in 1870, opening an extension west to Columbia in 1873.

Sadly, this line never made it to Augusta.This line also became bankrupt, and the old name of the Wilmington and Manchester came to life once more until being sold to the Atlantic Coast Line in 1900.

Atlantic Coast Line building, Wilmington, NC

Of the towns that grew up on this line, many still see rail service, none at all, or a remnant of what was.One of the still barely struggling sections of this line is a remnant from Mullins to Whiteville, N.C.

Carolina Southern engine 950, GM model GP18, 1200HP, Mullins, SC

CSX acquired the line from Florence at Wilmington, and abandoned the right of way. Most of what remains is the Carolina Southern short line that runs from Mullins, SC to Whitesville, NC. Although a functional line exists, it is mostly a shadow of its former self.

Weed overgrown creek trestle, south of Mullins


Much of the old right of way is either overgrown track, track bissected by paved roads and construction, or simply a raised bed with the occasional spike that turns up now and then.

Abandoned track north of Marion

Stranger still, are the wholly abandoned sections of rail overgrown with centipede grass and broomstraw. The occasional industrial spur lies dormant, like some steel and timber Lazarus waiting to rise up and work once more.

Dormant industrail spur. Note landlocked cab car in center.

As for the Carolina Southern, this short line is not giving up without a fight. Crossing the CSX "A Line," it does industrial service switching jobs. While the line may no longer run from Manchester to Wilmington, there is at least a portion of the line that is servicable through SC. After over 150 years of service, this road still runs.

Joel Allen House

The Joel Allen House



While not quite a “dying” rail line, the Joel Allen house represents much of the fading past that was Dillon County, South Carolina. As this once-beautiful part of the state nose dives into the conditions of a third world country, no thanks to years of incompetent and corrupt political leadership, the landmarks of this area are fading away at an alarming rate.

The Joel Allen house was a familiar antebellum landmark well remembered from my boyhood. This house was plainly visible from three directions from nearly a half mile away over cotton and soybean fields, surrounded by a massive white oak, magnolias, and shrubbery. I hunted the woods nearby, and often passed it on the way to my grandparents, and the house always had a sense of warmth and welcome about it, especially after a bitterly cold afternoon hunting. South Carolina winters are often more wet than cold, making the cold seem even worse. It seemed to be an example of an idyllic domestic existence, lit windows seeming to be a welcoming beacon against the ever deepening darkness surrounding me as I left the woods after a hunt.

The house, then…

…and now. What used to be the front steps.

Not far from the old ACL line that ran from Latta to Bingham, the Joel Allen house stood for over 100 years. Joel Allen, a Baptist pastor who ministered at Catfish Creek Baptist Church across the street from Dalcho School, lived there with his family.

During the War Between the States, the Pastor rode with the citizen’s militia to confront Union “bummers” and Confederate deserters in the area. Pastor Allen shot and killed several after some of the local law enforcement with him were shot.

A mass of bricks from one of the fallen chimneys of the old house. Once a provider of warmth
And light, the fireplace now lies cold and dark in a mass of confusion.


The duty of a pastor is not one to be taken lightly, and a minister’s home is often a tool of the job. The nature of being a spiritual leader often required the sanctuary and warmth of a home, as opposed to the “formality” of a church building. In many churches of the 19th Century, as well as today, the home served as an office, library, study, counseling center, and a place for visiting ministry and emergency shelter for a family in need.








Today, all that remains is ruins. Nothing but the bones of what was once a home.

Massive white oak in what was the front yard…the fallen tree to the
Left is five feet high from the ground. if only the memories of children
Playing under its shaded branches could be seen to appreciate it.

A surviving packhouse that was behind the house.

A blazing red dogwood in what was the front of the house.

Carolina, Cumberland Gap, and Chicago Railroad

The story of the railroads in South Carolina, like most other places in these United States, is growth, division, rise and demise. Like most things, they begin, grow, and eventually come to the end of a useful life.

Rail crossing at Graniteville Highway

The railroads are no different, especially when lines and routes are no longer profitable, are redundant, and serve a very limited purpose.

This is the case of the line from Aiken to Trenton, last maintained by the Southern Railway.

1939 Highway map showing the Aiken to Edgefield Line by way of Trenton.

This particular line was concieved as part of the Carolina, Cumberland Gap and Chicago Railroad (CCG & C RR). This venture was another attempt to open the trade of the Mississippi Valley to the port of Charleston. This railroad was operational by 1888 with 23 miles of track.

In 1894, this company was reorganized as the Carolina, Cumberland Gap, & Chicago Railway

Sometime between 1896 and 1898, the Ohio River & Charleston Railroad ,(OR&C RR) acquired the recently reorganized Carolina & Cumberland Gap Railway. In August 1898 the line from Edgefield to Aiken was sold to the South Carolina and Georgia Railroad Company (SC&GA RR), which operated it as the South Carolina & Georgia Extension Railroad Company for a short time.

Old trestle at Shaw's Creek

In 1902, this line was part of the 999 year lease to the Southern Railway Company.

Southern Railway operated these lines until 1980, when Norfolk Southern resulted out of the mergers of the 1970's.

Between 1970 and 1980, this stretch was abandoned.

Today, the only trains to be heard on this line is from its nearby sister track, still operated by Norfolk Southern from Graniteville to Trenton. The only wheels that meet this once busy line are from autos travelling up and down its well worn route along what is now hunt clubs, residences and wooded lands.