Algernon S. Buford
Encyclopedia
Algernon Sidney Buford of Chatham, Virginia
is best known for his presidency of the Richmond and Danville Railroad
during its massive post civil war expansion into the Southern Railway system
(now part of Norfolk Southern).
, and came to Chatham, Virginia
to enter the practice of law. His choice was understandable, since, several illustrious attorneys had established practices in the town, including Whitmell Pugh Tunstall
, who had been the creator and first president of the Richmond and Danville Railroad
.
Buford was related to Tunstall. He was Tunstall's nephew-in-law and in manner of speaking, his brother-in-law as well. He married Emily Winifred Townes, daughter of George Townes and Eliza Barker Tunstall. Eliza was the older sister of Whitmell P. Tunstall, and had reared him after the death of their mother,
Buford represented Pittsylvania County
in the Virginia House of Delegates
during 1853 and 1854.
, in 1863, Buford was in charge of the Virginia Depot, on 13th street, south of Cary Street, (Shockoe Slip), in Richmond. After the war, he became known as Col. Buford.
(R&D). Damage from the war, including the bridge across the James River
between Manchester
and Richmond
was repaired.
Over the next 20 years, as R&D President, Col. Buford extended the trackage to three thousand miles. The R&D's early acquisitions included the Piedmont Railroad in 1866, and the North Carolina Railroad
in 1871.
In 1872, the R&D extended aid to the Atlanta and Richmond Air Line Railway to help it complete its road between Charlotte and Atlanta. The line was to become a key link in the "Piedmont Air Line,” a system of railroads across the southeast.
was developed as a resort community of Richmond
located 9 miles (14.5 km) west on the Richmond and Danville Railroad
.
Col. Buford personally (as well as through the Richmond and Danville Railroad) was much involved in the development of the community, originally known as Brown's Summit, later renamed Grand Summit, and eventually renamed again Bon Air
), derived from the French expression for good air. In 1877, he was among the first investors and officers in the Bon Air Land and Improvement Company. Other R&D officials involved in the development of Bon Air were General Thomas M. Logan
, Col. Andrew Talcott
, and Talcott's son, Thomas Mann Randolph Talcott. Among Bon Air's residents of the period was druggist Polk Miller
, who founded Sergeant's Pet Care Products and became a notable musician.
.
In 1880, the Richmond and West Point Terminal Railway and Warehouse Company was chartered to acquire railroads which the R&D could not acquire directly due to a limitation in its charter. One of these was the former Richmond and York River Railroad
. The Terminal Company quickly purchased over 700 miles (1,126.5 km) of existing railroads and acquired the franchises for a number of projected lines including the Georgia Pacific Railway and the Rabun Gap Short Line Railway.
In 1881, the R&D leased the Piedmont Air Line system, by then renamed Atlanta and Charlotte Air Line Railway, forming the Richmond and Danville Railroad System.
In 1885, the R&D bought the Lawrenceville-to-Suwanee line in Georgia from the Lawrenceville Branch Railroad. This line was sold to the Atlanta and Charlotte Air Line Railway in 1908, and was abandoned in 1920.
The R&D leased the 61 miles (98.2 km) North Eastern Railroad (Georgia) in 1886. In 1887, the Terminal Company gained control of the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railway.
In 1888, the Terminal Company purchased the entire capital stock of the Georgia Company, which held a controlling interest in the Central Railroad and Banking Company. In 1889, the 566 miles (910.9 km) Georgia Pacific Railway was completed and began operation from Atlanta to Greenville, Mississippi. It had been leased to the R &D in January of that year.
In 1890, the Terminal Company acquired a controlling interest in the Alabama Great Southern Railroad.
By 1890, the R&D System covered 3300 miles (5,310.8 km) of track in Virginia, North Carolina
, South Carolina
, Georgia, Tennessee
, Alabama
, Mississippi
, Arkansas
, and Texas
. However, the R&D System had become financially unstable during all the growth. In 1892, the R&D and subsidiaries entered receivership.
Reorganized by J.P. Morgan and his New York banking firm of Drexel, Morgan and Company, they emerged in 1894 as the Southern Railway Company
, which controlled over 4000 miles (6,437.4 km) of line at its inception. In 1980, Southern Railway Company became part of today's Norfolk Southern Railway
.
.
Buford, Georgia
, a town (and later a city) on a portion for the Richmond and Danville Railroad system was named for him.
Chatham, Virginia
Chatham is a town in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, United States. Chatham's population was 1,338 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Danville, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. Chatham is home to Chatham High School and Hargrave Military Academy. It is also home to Chatham Hall , an...
is best known for his presidency of the Richmond and Danville Railroad
Richmond and Danville Railroad
The Richmond and Danville Railroad was chartered in Virginia in the United States in 1847. The portion between Richmond and Danville, Virginia was completed in 1856...
during its massive post civil war expansion into the Southern Railway system
Southern Railway (US)
The Southern Railway is a former United States railroad. It was the product of nearly 150 predecessor lines that were combined, reorganized and recombined beginning in the 1830s, formally becoming the Southern Railway in 1894...
(now part of Norfolk Southern).
Early career in Chatham, Virginia
Buford was a graduate of the University of VirginiaUniversity of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, and came to Chatham, Virginia
Chatham, Virginia
Chatham is a town in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, United States. Chatham's population was 1,338 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Danville, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. Chatham is home to Chatham High School and Hargrave Military Academy. It is also home to Chatham Hall , an...
to enter the practice of law. His choice was understandable, since, several illustrious attorneys had established practices in the town, including Whitmell Pugh Tunstall
Whitmell P. Tunstall
Whitmell Pugh Tunstall was a lawyer and state legislator in Chatham, Virginia. He was the long-time advocate most responsible for the creation of the Richmond and Danville Railroad which was completed in 1856....
, who had been the creator and first president of the Richmond and Danville Railroad
Richmond and Danville Railroad
The Richmond and Danville Railroad was chartered in Virginia in the United States in 1847. The portion between Richmond and Danville, Virginia was completed in 1856...
.
Buford was related to Tunstall. He was Tunstall's nephew-in-law and in manner of speaking, his brother-in-law as well. He married Emily Winifred Townes, daughter of George Townes and Eliza Barker Tunstall. Eliza was the older sister of Whitmell P. Tunstall, and had reared him after the death of their mother,
Buford represented Pittsylvania County
Pittsylvania County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 61,745 people, 24,684 households, and 18,216 families residing in the county. The population density was 64 people per square mile . There were 28,011 housing units at an average density of 29 per square mile...
in the Virginia House of Delegates
Virginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere, established on July 30, 1619. The General Assembly is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members,...
during 1853 and 1854.
Civil War
During the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, in 1863, Buford was in charge of the Virginia Depot, on 13th street, south of Cary Street, (Shockoe Slip), in Richmond. After the war, he became known as Col. Buford.
Reconstruction, President of the R&D
With the support of Virginia Governor Francis H. Pierpont, on September 13, 1865, Colonel Buford became president of the 140 miles (225.3 km) Richmond and Danville RailroadRichmond and Danville Railroad
The Richmond and Danville Railroad was chartered in Virginia in the United States in 1847. The portion between Richmond and Danville, Virginia was completed in 1856...
(R&D). Damage from the war, including the bridge across the James River
James River (Virginia)
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...
between Manchester
Manchester, Virginia
Manchester, Virginia is a former independent city in Virginia in the United States. Prior to receiving independent status, it served as the county seat of Chesterfield County, between 1870 and 1876...
and Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
was repaired.
Over the next 20 years, as R&D President, Col. Buford extended the trackage to three thousand miles. The R&D's early acquisitions included the Piedmont Railroad in 1866, and the North Carolina Railroad
North Carolina Railroad
The North Carolina Railroad is a state-owned rail corridor extending from Morehead City, North Carolina to Charlotte, North Carolina. The railroad carries over seventy freight trains and eight passenger trains daily...
in 1871.
In 1872, the R&D extended aid to the Atlanta and Richmond Air Line Railway to help it complete its road between Charlotte and Atlanta. The line was to become a key link in the "Piedmont Air Line,” a system of railroads across the southeast.
Bon Air, Virginia
Bon Air, VirginiaBon Air, Virginia
Bon Air is a census-designated place in Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States. The population was 16,366 at the 2010 census. The community is considered a suburb of the independent city of Richmond in the Richmond-Petersburg region, and shares a post office with Richmond...
was developed as a resort community of Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
located 9 miles (14.5 km) west on the Richmond and Danville Railroad
Richmond and Danville Railroad
The Richmond and Danville Railroad was chartered in Virginia in the United States in 1847. The portion between Richmond and Danville, Virginia was completed in 1856...
.
Col. Buford personally (as well as through the Richmond and Danville Railroad) was much involved in the development of the community, originally known as Brown's Summit, later renamed Grand Summit, and eventually renamed again Bon Air
Bon Air, Virginia
Bon Air is a census-designated place in Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States. The population was 16,366 at the 2010 census. The community is considered a suburb of the independent city of Richmond in the Richmond-Petersburg region, and shares a post office with Richmond...
), derived from the French expression for good air. In 1877, he was among the first investors and officers in the Bon Air Land and Improvement Company. Other R&D officials involved in the development of Bon Air were General Thomas M. Logan
Thomas M. Logan
Thomas Muldrup Logan was an American soldier and businessman. He served as a Confederate general during the American Civil War, and afterward was greatly involved in railroad development in the Southern United States....
, Col. Andrew Talcott
Andrew Talcott
Andrew Talcott was an American civil engineer and close friend of Civil War General Robert E. Lee. While serving as a Confederate States of America Colonel and the State Engineer of Virginia, he was arrested and made prisoner of war during that conflict.-Early life:Talcott was born on April 20,...
, and Talcott's son, Thomas Mann Randolph Talcott. Among Bon Air's residents of the period was druggist Polk Miller
Polk Miller
Polk Miller was a pharmacist and musician from Richmond and Bon Air, Virginia.-Early life, Civil War, druggist:Polk Miller was born in Prince Edward County, Virginia in August, 1844. While growing up, he learned to play the banjo from slaves on his father's plantation. He became a druggist in...
, who founded Sergeant's Pet Care Products and became a notable musician.
Expanding the R&D
In 1878, the R&D acquired the Charlotte, Columbia and Augusta RailroadCharlotte, Columbia and Augusta Railroad
The Charlotte, Columbia and Augusta Railroad was formed in 1869 with the merger of the Charlotte and South Carolina Railroad and the Columbia and Augusta Railroad.The combined line stretched 191 miles between Augusta, Georgia, and Charlotte, North Carolina...
.
In 1880, the Richmond and West Point Terminal Railway and Warehouse Company was chartered to acquire railroads which the R&D could not acquire directly due to a limitation in its charter. One of these was the former Richmond and York River Railroad
Richmond and York River Railroad
Richmond and York River Railroad was completed between Richmond, Virginia and West Point, Virginia in 1861. The western terminus was adjacent to Richmond's Tobacco Row...
. The Terminal Company quickly purchased over 700 miles (1,126.5 km) of existing railroads and acquired the franchises for a number of projected lines including the Georgia Pacific Railway and the Rabun Gap Short Line Railway.
In 1881, the R&D leased the Piedmont Air Line system, by then renamed Atlanta and Charlotte Air Line Railway, forming the Richmond and Danville Railroad System.
In 1885, the R&D bought the Lawrenceville-to-Suwanee line in Georgia from the Lawrenceville Branch Railroad. This line was sold to the Atlanta and Charlotte Air Line Railway in 1908, and was abandoned in 1920.
The R&D leased the 61 miles (98.2 km) North Eastern Railroad (Georgia) in 1886. In 1887, the Terminal Company gained control of the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railway.
In 1888, the Terminal Company purchased the entire capital stock of the Georgia Company, which held a controlling interest in the Central Railroad and Banking Company. In 1889, the 566 miles (910.9 km) Georgia Pacific Railway was completed and began operation from Atlanta to Greenville, Mississippi. It had been leased to the R &D in January of that year.
In 1890, the Terminal Company acquired a controlling interest in the Alabama Great Southern Railroad.
By 1890, the R&D System covered 3300 miles (5,310.8 km) of track in Virginia, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, Georgia, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. However, the R&D System had become financially unstable during all the growth. In 1892, the R&D and subsidiaries entered receivership.
Reorganized by J.P. Morgan and his New York banking firm of Drexel, Morgan and Company, they emerged in 1894 as the Southern Railway Company
Southern Railway (US)
The Southern Railway is a former United States railroad. It was the product of nearly 150 predecessor lines that were combined, reorganized and recombined beginning in the 1830s, formally becoming the Southern Railway in 1894...
, which controlled over 4000 miles (6,437.4 km) of line at its inception. In 1980, Southern Railway Company became part of today's Norfolk Southern Railway
Norfolk Southern Railway
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. With headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, the company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada...
.
Heritage
Buford is honored by the naming of the thoroughfare Buford Road in Bon Air, VirginiaBon Air, Virginia
Bon Air is a census-designated place in Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States. The population was 16,366 at the 2010 census. The community is considered a suburb of the independent city of Richmond in the Richmond-Petersburg region, and shares a post office with Richmond...
.
Buford, Georgia
Buford, Georgia
As of 2010 Buford had a population of 12,225. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 65.8% white, 13.8% black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 2.9% Asian, 14.7% reporting some other race and 2.5% reproting two or more races...
, a town (and later a city) on a portion for the Richmond and Danville Railroad system was named for him.
External links
- Historic Railroad Maps commercial site
- Confederate Railroads website
- Dan River Tour website
- Georgia's Railroad History & Heritage website
- Special Collections, Virginia Tech University Library
- Civil War Richmond
- College of William and Mary, Railroads in Antebellum Richmond
- Virginia Places, Sectional Rivalry page
- Lee's Retreat - A Driving Tour
- An Abbreviated History of Pittsylvania County, Virginia - Transportation and Routes
- US Civil War, Appomattox Campaign
- History of Western North Carolina - Railroads
- The Stranger's Guide and Official Directory for the City of Richmond Electronic Edition
- Iron Confederacies Timeline
- Southern Railway Historical Association
- Norfolk Southern Corporation official website
- Virginia Museum of Transportation displays famous N & W steam locomotives, located in Roanoke, VA
- Southern Railway Yahoo Group a Yahoo group for former employees, railfans and modelers of the Southern Railway
- Norfolk Southern Yahoo Group a Yahoo group for current happenings of Norfolk Southern Railway
- Buford, Georgia information
- A.S. Buford page