Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

For Monthly Estimates Ledger 1850-1852, use microfilm copy Pulaski County (Va.) Reel 56.

Preferred Citation

Virginia and Tennessee Railroad Company Monthly Estimates Ledgers, 1850-1855. Local government records collection, Pulaski County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Acquisition Information

These items came to the Library of Virginia in transfers of court papers from Pulaski County under the accession number 43684.

Historical Information

Although chartered in 1849, construction on the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad did not commence until the 1850s. Construction began in January 1850, but the 204 mile line would not be completed until October 1856. The eastern end of the railroad began in Lynchburg, Virginia and extended through southwestern Virginia to the Tennessee state line at Bristol. In Lynchburg, the line connected with other railroads heading east through Petersburg and Richmond.

During the Civil War, the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad served as a vital link between Richmond and the Confederate armies. The railroad hauled troops, weapons, and supplies throughout Virginia to Tennessee. Supplies such as food, livestock, salt, copper, and iron ore were shipped on the line. After several attempts, the Union army finally destroyed parts of the railroad in late 1864.

The railroad was soon rebuilt after the end of the Civil War and came under the control of former Confederate general William Mahone, who was named president of the line in 1867. In 1870, the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad became part of the Atlantic, Mississippi, and Ohio Railroad along with the South Side Railroad and the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad. In 1882 the name of the line was changed to the Norfolk and Western. Today, much of the original railroad line remains in service to the Norfolk Southern Corporation.

The volumes were used as exhibits in the chancery case Pryde and Jones versus Virginia and Tennessee Railroad Company heard in the Circuit Court of Pulaski County.

Scope and Content

The Virginia and Tennessee Railroad Company Monthly Estimates Ledgers, 1850-1855, were used by the railroad's engineering department to record the work performed by various contractors hired to perform grading and masonry work on specific sections of the railroad during its construction. Accounts were recorded for each contractor and include the contractor's name and the section and division of the railroad worked on. Each account entry includes a detailed list of the worked performed and the amounts paid for the service. Work performed by these railroad workers included earth excavation, rock excavation, and the building of culverts.

Monthly Estimates Ledger, 1850-1852, contains a small account book that details the numbers of employees and equipment provided by the contractors. Accounts were kept for the number of overseers, mechanics, men, boys, hand carts, and teams used by each contractor. The number of workers who became sick during the construction was also noted.

Monthly Estimates Ledger, 1853-1855, includes an article of agreement composed specifically for the work performed by contractors. The document provides a detailed description of the standards and quality expectations of the grading and masonry work.

Related Material

For additional information see the Pulaski County Chancery Cause, Pryde and Jones versus Virginia and Tennessee Railroad Company. It can be found in the Chancery Records Index at the Library of Virginia web site. The index number is 1859-006.

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Virginia and Tennessee Railroad Company.

Subjects:

• Railroad companies--Virginia.
• Railroad construction workers--Virginia.
• Railroad engineering--Virginia.
• Railroads--Employees.
• Railroads--Tennessee.
• Railroads--Virginia.

Geographical Names:

• Pulaski County (Va.)--History--19th century.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Business records--Virginia--Pulaski County.
• Ledgers (account books)--Virginia--Pulaski County.
• Local government records--Virginia--Pulaski County.

Adjunct Descriptive Data