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Originally chartered in 1835 as the
Wilmington and Raleigh RailroadChartered in 1834, the Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad began operations in 1840 between Wilmington, North Carolina and Weldon, NC. With 161.5 miles of track, it is said to have been the longest railroad in the world at the time of its completion....
, the
Wilmington and Weldon Railroad name began use in 1855. At the time of its 1840 completion, the line was the longest railroad in the world with 161.5 miles of track. The railroad played a key role in the
Siege of PetersburgThe Richmond–Petersburg Campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War...
during the
American Civil WarThe 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...
.
Among the early employees of the W&W RR was assistant engineer
William G. LewisWilliam Gaston Lewis was a Confederate general in the American Civil War.-Early life:William G. Lewis was born September 3, 1835, in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. He was the son of Dr. John Wesley Lewis and Catherine Ann Battle. He was educated at Lovejoy’s Academy in Raleigh...
. The future Civil War general began his railroad career in 1858. From 1854 to 1871 S.L. Fremont was Chief Engineer and Superintendent,
Fremont, North Carolina is named in his honor.
In 1872, the railroad was leased by the
Wilmington, Columbia and Augusta RailroadThe Wilmington, Columbia and Augusta Railroad was a Southeastern United States railroad that served South Carolina and North Carolina during the second half of the 19th century....
, but this lease ended in 1878 when the WC&A went bankrupt. Eventually the W&R was merged into the
Atlantic Coast Line RailroadThe Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was an American railroad that existed between 1900 and 1967, when it merged with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, its long-time rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad...
on April 21, 1900.