Pea Vine Map – 1936

The “Pea Vine” railroad operated between Lexington and Perryville for 50 years before being discontinued in 1936. The trains and tracks are gone but remnants can still be found in parts of Decatur and Henderson Counties. The path of the “Pea Vine” railbed has been taken from the 1936 USGS Topological Maps and layered on the current Google Map for an interactive view of the railbed in today’s world. Click here to view the full size map including clickable highlights along the route.

The “Pea Vine” A Ghost Railroad

In 1886, Tennessee Midland Railway Company was chartered to build a railroad from Memphis to Virginia.  By 1889, 135.6 miles of track were completed to Perryville where it ended for lack of funds. In 1892, another rail connection at Lexington ended the need to extend the line past Perryville. By 1896, the 24.1 miles from Lexington to Perryville were owned by the Louisville & Nashville and operated by lessee Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway. Known locally as the “Pea Vine”, the Perryville branch operated daily until abandoned in October 1936.

Parsons A Railroad Town

On April 11, 1889, seeds for the town of Parsons were sown when landowner Henry Myracle deeded 143 1/3 acres to Tennessee Midland Railway Company. In exchange, Tennessee Midland build a depot and laid out a town consisting of 44 numbered blocks. Even numbers belonged to Tennessee Midland and odd numbers belonged to Henry Myracle. On April 20, 1889 George W. Partin bought the first lot in the new town of Parsons and later that year moved his general merchandise store and post office from nearby Partinville. In 1893, the post office’s name was officially changed to Parsons.

Other Pea Vine Railroad Links

• Beacon Depot
• Ruins of Browns Creek Trestle
• Bear Creek Culvert
• Chesterfield Depot
• Darden Depot
• Decatur County Railroad History
• Plan of the City of Parsons – 1889
• Sale of the Tennessee Midland
• Tennessee Midland – Illinois-Central.Net
• Remains of Harmon Creek Trestle
• Hinson Springs Hotel
• Remains of Owl Creek Trestle
• History of Parsons
• May Discontinue Road – 1933
• Railroads Authorized to Abandon Branch – 1936
• New Rural Mail Route – 1936
• Begin Tearing Up Short Line Rail Track Soon – 1936
• Paducah Yard Engineer Given 50-Year Emblem
• Parsons Depot
• Perryville Railroad Turntable Ruins
• Last Run of the Peavine Railroad
• Lexington Depot
• NC&StL – Lexington
• Perryville Depot
• Warrens Bluff – Winter of 1918/1919