from Lillye Younger
The History of Decatur County Past and Present (Southhaven, MS: Carter Printing Company, 1978)
The building of the railroad in Decatur County contributed greatly to the growth of the county.
The Tennessee Midland Railroad Company was chartered December 29, 1886 to extend from the city of Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee, easterly to the Virginia State line. The road would end near the Clinch River in Hancock County, which was a distance of 450 miles.[27]
Work on the railroad began in 1887. The distance from Memphis to Jackson was 85.5 miles. This section of road opened June 1, 1888 and workmen continued grading toward Perryville, Decatur County, situated on the banks of the Tennessee River.[28]
The directors of the Tennessee Midland Railroad on December 1,1888 were as follows: A. S. Buf6rd, J. B. Pace, E.D. Christian, Charles Watkins, Thomas C. Williams T. C. Leake, Jr., R. H. Temple, all of Richmond, Va. James T. Gray, J. J. Montaque, A. L. Crawford, W. D. Benhell, Napoleon Hill, John Overton, Jr. of Memphis, J. M. Hamilton and Nathan Baxter, Jr. [29]
R.H. Temple was chief engineer, John Overton, Jr. was elected President March 20, 1889 and T. C. Leaker, Jr. was elected Vice President on the same date.
The work continued after June 1888, from Jackson toward Perryville. The distance from Lexington to Perryville was 25 miles. The mileage of line inside Decatur County was 11.01 miles. The distance from Memphis to Perryville was 135.6 miles.[30]
The railroad company controlled 200 feet (100 feet on each side of the center) if the deed did not specify otherwise.
The supervisor of the roadway was R.H. Pentecost of Lexington. Will Warden of Parsons, acted as buyer for the lumber necessary to build the Perryville Branch.[31]
Benjamin Franklin Streigel originally from Merrill, Wisc., was the contractor in charge of the trestle work and grading of fills. He supplied the piling for the trestles along with laborers and mules necessary for the work.[32]
The laborers were Italians, Germans, Irishmen and local persons. Among those who settled in this vicinity were John Kneareen, Lew Seltzer, Patrick Fallan, Walter Harris, a Mr. Youngerman and Mr. Halter.[33] They were Tie Hacks.
The Perryville Branch was responsible for a number of good towns springing up along its tracks in Henderson and Decatur County. They were Warren’s Bluff, Chesterfield, Darden, Beacon and Parsons.[34]
Before 1889, Henry Myracle owned a large flat piece of land, the present site of Parsons. In order to get a town started on his land, Mr. Myracle deeded one hundred and forty-three and one third acres of land to the Tennessee Midland Railroad Company, April 11,1889.
The land was divided into lots, Myracle keeping every other row of lots. By doing this, he not only made money for himself but also promoted the growth of the new town of Parsons.[35]
The first depot that Parsons had was moved from Thompson Station on the main line by flat car. It was a small building, just large enough to sell tickets and take care of business matters. This depot burned and a new and larger one was built. They were located in the vicinity of the present business, Fayes Fancy, near the intersection of Main Street and Tennessee Avenue, South.
The line was completed to Perryville in 1889;[36] however, it was here it met its Waterloo. It never crossed the Tennessee River much less reaching the Virginia Line. Seems that money gave out. The first train puffed into Perryville June 30, 1889. It was loaded with passengers, mail and freight and consisted of six coaches. There was a coach for whites, one for blacks, a baggage car and three freight cars. Among the train’s first passengers were officials, construction workers and local workers.
Martin Dial sawed the lumber to built the Perryville Depot.[37]
The original deed for the railroad reads thus, “Deed to Tennessee Midland Railroad, J.W. Phillips to Land N. R. R. Co.”
Mr. Phillips sold to L and N R. R. Co. for the sum of $1,491,864, the railroad formerly known as the Tennessee Midland Railroad, described as follows: Extending from within the city of Memphis, in the State of Tennessee, and running thence in an easterly direction through the counties of Shelby, Fayette, Hardeman, Madison, Henderson and Decatur to Perryville, on the West side of the Tennessee River, in the said last county named including all cars, depots, franchises, equipment, buildings, etc.” “Except certain town lots donated to said railway Company at or near the Town of Parsons.”
This deed was registered August 6, 1896, in Decatur County Book No. 13, Page 61.
Serving as depot agents on the line at Perryville were: Will Andrews, Luther Hurst, George Peck, who arrived from Michigan, O.C. Kirksey, who hailed from Yuma, Tennessee, George O’Guinn, from Beacon, Tennessee and John A. Tinker of Decatur County.[38]
Parsons Depot Agents were John Young, B.F. Goodlow, H.L. (Crickett) Veale[39] who served in 1926-27, W.H. Neely,[40] Hubert Borne and John A. Tinker who served after the Perryville Station was closed and moved to Parsons. SidneyCoggin was the first telegraph operator.
Serving Depot agents at Beacon were: Tip Oxford, Ebern Kirksey, Glen Batton, George O’Guinn, Dick Joyner and Hobart Hayes. Later Mr. Jess Long served as caretaker prior to the train’s death.
John Tinker served as depot agent in Perryville until the railroad began losing business with the coming of good roads, trucks and automobiles. He then was transferred to Parsons to serve in the place of Hubert Borne, who was ill. The day the train made its last trip to Perryville, Boren died. Tinker also replaced George O’Guinn at Perryville when he became ill.
Perryville youngsters attended school at Parsons and rode the train, which was nicknamed the “PeeVine”. The train left Perryville at 7 a.m. and returned a 6 p.m. In between, it would make two other trips from Lexington on. It returned to Perryville around 1 p.m. and back to Lexington around 2:30, then made the nightly trip and spent the night at Perryville. About one mile West of Perryville there was a round “turntable”. The engine was headed toward the river when it reached Perryville at night and to get it turned toward Lexington, it had to be turned around.
Between Parsons and Lexington there were three trestles. Two of the trestles were straight and the other one was a long curved one which people still talk about as the “Ole Curved Trestle.”[42] It was made from red cedar as were other trestles. From Parsons to the Decatur County line adjoining Henderson County were three other trestles. One near the town of Parsons, crossing Bear Creek, another crossing Arms Creek and another crossing Johnson Creek called Barnett Trestle.[43] The trestles were straight with the exception of the one across Arms Creek which has a ten (10) curve in it.
According to the legend, when Barnett Trestle was taken up, a black man became ill and was buried at the west end of the trestle.
Warren Myracle and his brother bought the lumber from one of the trestles and sold it in Murfreesboro to a cedar factory where cedar water buckets and cedar pencils were made. He received $15.00 for his share and bought a belt buckle which he still possesses.[44]
Beech River overflowed out of its banks and got under the curved trestle. The water had some effect on the wood and the repair of the trestle was necessary.
The railroad began to lose business as a result of a paved road which “captured all its revenue” and earning sources.[45]
On February 10, 1936, the L and N Railroad and N.C. & St. L lessee, filed an application with the Interstate Commerce Commission for a certificate of public convenience and necessity permitting the “Former L & N and the latter N.C. & St. L. to abandon operation of the so-called Perryville Branch, all in Henderson and Decatur Counties.[46]
The crew on the Perryville branch when it was discontinued were: P. H. Dennison, passenger conductor; W. H. Hodges and W.M. Garvey, brakemen,’ W. E. Linderfield, Engineer, A. R. Attaway, freight conductor and V. G.Hearne, baggage man. The train served as both passenger and freight train. It opened up a faster mail service in the county with two incoming and outgoing services daily.
All of these men were transferred to the main line of the N.C. & St. L. railroad.[47] Mr. L. W. Scott of Lexington bought the old Depot and constructed a service station at the corner of Main and Tennessee Avenue, South.
The shrilling Sound of the train whistle, the puffing of the engine, while filling up with water at Parsons water tank, and the sound of the conductor calling out the towns on the once important Perryville Branch Line silently faded away come October 31,1936, the last day the train made its run. It was filled on this Memorial day with citizens from the county filling the coaches for a last ride on the “PeeVine”. Parsonians took a round trip to Perryville and back, while those not so successful, who had to work, only stood by, with tears in their eyes and waved goodbye to another era in the history of Decatur County.[48]
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