Railroads in the Old South: Pursuing Progress in a Slave Society

An original history of the railroad in the Old South that challenges the accepted understanding of economic and industrial growth in antebellum America.

Drawing from both familiar and overlooked sources, such as the personal diaries of Southern travelers, papers and letters from civil engineers, corporate records, and contemporary newspaper accounts, Aaron W. Marrs skillfully expands on the conventional business histories that have characterized scholarship in this field. He situates railro...