Richard Hardy School at Richard City
photo by Wes Schultz
Caboose at South Pittsburg
photo by Wes Schultz
Side track at South Pittsburg
photo by Wes Schultz
Skillet sculpture at Lodge Cast Iron Cookware plant
photo by Wes Schultz
Church at South Pittsburg
photo by Wes Schultz
Rock church by cemetery at South Pittsburg
photo by Wes Schultz
Lodge at South Pittsburg
photo by Wes Schultz
Downtown South Pittsburg
photo by Wes Schultz
South Pittsburg Opera House
photo by Wes Schultz
Princess Theater at South Pittsburg
photo by Wes Schultz
Cameron-Patton Hotel at South Pittsburg
photo by Wes Schultz
Bridge over Battle Creek
photo by John Wilson
Mile marker 7
photo by John Wilson
Sequatchie Railroad cars near Kimball
photo by Wes Schultz
Railroad crossing
photo by Wes Schultz
Pastoral scene
photo by Wes Schultz
Former Jasper depot now serves as City Hall
photo by Wes Schultz
The Jasper Depot when the tracks were still in place
photo by Wes Schultz
Stately old home at Jasper
photo by Wes Schultz
Clock and Courthouse at Jasper
photo by Wes Schultz
Courthouse at Jasper
photo by Wes Schultz
Old bank building at Jasper
photo by Wes Schultz
Jasper Lodge
photo by Wes Schultz
Victoria Station in 1982
photo by Wes Schultz
Victoria depot was later a feed mill
photo by Wes Schultz
Brick depot at Victoria
photo by Wes Schultz
Victoria sign
photo by Wes Schultz
Window with train theme at Victoria
photo by Wes Schultz
Frame church at Victoria
photo by Wes Schultz
Piece of the track is preserved at Whitwell
photo by Wes Schultz
Deteriorating old trestle on the line past Whitwell
photo by Wes Schultz
Route of the Sequatchie Valley Railroad toward Dunlap and Pikeville
photo by Wes Schultz
At Dunlap
photo by Wes Schultz
Historic building at Dunlap
photo by Wes Schultz
Audley Condra was killed by two gunmen in "The Incident at Condra's Switch"
photo by Helen Burns Sharp
A railroad once ran the length of the scenic Sequatchie Valley from Bridgeport, Ala., to Pikeville, Tn., while passing through South Pittsburg, Jasper, Whitwell and Dunlap.
Plans were underway for the Jasper Branch Railroad, branching off from the Nashville and Chattanooga line at Bridgeport, when the Civil War intervened.
The line was completed to Jasper soon after the war's end, and the first shipment of nine bales of cotton was in March 1867.
The next year, Major William Jasper organized the Sequatchie Valley Railroad Company, with a plan to reach Pikeville.
The railroad had arrived at Victoria near Ketner's Mill by 1877. It was extended to Whitwell in 1887 and to Dunlap in 1888. It made it to Pikeville in 1891.
Stops along the line included Deptford (Richard City), South Pittsburg, Kimball, Jasper, Victoria, Sequatchie, Whitwell, Dunlap, College Station, Lee's and Pikeville.
When Billy French was the engineer, the daily passenger train between Bridgeport and Pikeville was known as "The Billy." French was later killed in a train accident. Another train along the route was known as "The Local." As industry increased along the line, a train that included an engine, a passenger car and a freight car was added. This abbreviated train was called "The Short Dog." It made three daily trips.
A tragic incident occurred on the night of Jan. 2, 1925, at the little station of Condra's Switch between Jasper and Whitwell. Two gunmen were aiming to steal the pay of the railroad section gang. However, the workers had been paid earlier in the day. The pair shot and killed the postmaster/paymaster, Audley Condra, at the Condra general store. The killers were brought to justice. One was executed and the other died in state prison. The wooden store still stands.
Bluegrass master Norman Blake of Dade County, Ga., has written many railroad songs, including one titled "The Incident at Condra's Switch."
Only two of the depots on the Sequatchie Valley Railroad survive. The Jasper depot was converted for use as city hall. The brick depot at Victoria is a private residence after serving as a feed mill.
The tracks were pulled up just south of the Jasper depot, and now there are few signs of the old railroad between Jasper and Pikeville.
A few feet of track was kept in place at the entrance to Whitwell.
Sporadic rail service continues between Bridgeport to South Pittsburg and south of Jasper.