Bonsal, North Carolina
Encyclopedia
Bonsal is an unincorporated community in the New Hill, North Carolina
postal district, part of the Extra Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) of Apex, North Carolina
, in extreme southwestern Wake County, North Carolina
. Bonsal was a railroad junction between the Durham & South Carolina Railroad (D&SC) (originally chartered as the New Hope Valley Railroad) and the Seaboard Air Line Railroad
(originally the Raleigh and Augusta Air Line Railroad
). The New Hope Valley Railroad route was abandoned in the late 1970s.
The original name of the community was Godsey after the Godsey Farm in the area, but this was changed to Bonsal in 1905 after William Rosco Bonsal, builder and first President of the Durham & South Carolina Railroad (see below). The community was briefly incorporated from 1907 to 1917 to allow the citizens to vote in favor of bills supporting temperance and prohibition. The town charter was revoked in 1917 when the citizens, having accomplished their purpose for being incorporated at all, refused to pay town taxes.
Bonsal is now the site of the North Carolina Railway Museum (NCRM) and the operating New Hope Valley Railway
(NHVRy) tourist line. The line owns approximately 6 miles of track between Bonsal and New Hill, North Carolina
, operating for passengers on the first Sunday of each month from May to November and both Saturday and Sunday the first two weekends in December. Other special event trains are operated at other times throughout the year.
The railway north of New Hill, North Carolina
has been converted into the American Tobacco Trail
.
Norfolk & Southern Railway Company Historical Society
The American Tobacco Trail
Seaboard Air Line Railroad
New Hill, North Carolina
New Hill is an unincorporated community located in southwestern Wake County, North Carolina, at the crossroads of old U.S. 1, New Hill-Olive Chapel Road and New Hill-Holleman Road...
postal district, part of the Extra Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) of Apex, North Carolina
Apex, North Carolina
Apex is a town in Wake County, North Carolina and a suburb of Raleigh. The population was 37,476 according to the 2010 census., wakegov.com-Geography:Apex is located at ....
, in extreme southwestern Wake County, North Carolina
Wake County, North Carolina
Wake County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 900,993 making it North Carolina's second most populated county...
. Bonsal was a railroad junction between the Durham & South Carolina Railroad (D&SC) (originally chartered as the New Hope Valley Railroad) and the Seaboard Air Line Railroad
Seaboard Air Line Railroad
The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , which styled itself "The Route of Courteous Service," was an American railroad whose corporate existence extended from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line...
(originally the Raleigh and Augusta Air Line Railroad
Raleigh and Augusta Air Line Railroad
The Raleigh and Augusta Air Line Railroad was a North Carolina railroad that operated in the second half of the 19th century.The Raleigh and Augusta Air Line Railroad traces its history back to the early 1850s, when the line was chartered by the North Carolina General Assembly as the Chatham...
). The New Hope Valley Railroad route was abandoned in the late 1970s.
The original name of the community was Godsey after the Godsey Farm in the area, but this was changed to Bonsal in 1905 after William Rosco Bonsal, builder and first President of the Durham & South Carolina Railroad (see below). The community was briefly incorporated from 1907 to 1917 to allow the citizens to vote in favor of bills supporting temperance and prohibition. The town charter was revoked in 1917 when the citizens, having accomplished their purpose for being incorporated at all, refused to pay town taxes.
Bonsal is now the site of the North Carolina Railway Museum (NCRM) and the operating New Hope Valley Railway
New Hope Valley Railway
The New Hope Valley Railway is a heritage railroad in Bonsal, North Carolina operated by the North Carolina Railway Museum, Inc., an all-volunteer, nonprofit, and tax exempt educational and historical organization....
(NHVRy) tourist line. The line owns approximately 6 miles of track between Bonsal and New Hill, North Carolina
New Hill, North Carolina
New Hill is an unincorporated community located in southwestern Wake County, North Carolina, at the crossroads of old U.S. 1, New Hill-Olive Chapel Road and New Hill-Holleman Road...
, operating for passengers on the first Sunday of each month from May to November and both Saturday and Sunday the first two weekends in December. Other special event trains are operated at other times throughout the year.
The railway north of New Hill, North Carolina
New Hill, North Carolina
New Hill is an unincorporated community located in southwestern Wake County, North Carolina, at the crossroads of old U.S. 1, New Hill-Olive Chapel Road and New Hill-Holleman Road...
has been converted into the American Tobacco Trail
American Tobacco Trail
The American Tobacco Trail is a long Rails-to-Trails project located in the Research Triangle region of North Carolina, running along an abandoned railroad bed originally built for the American Tobacco Company in the 1970s. The route crosses through the City of Durham, Durham County, Chatham...
.
External links
New Hope Valley Railroad & NC Railroad MuseumNorfolk & Southern Railway Company Historical Society
The American Tobacco Trail
Seaboard Air Line Railroad