Tennessee Railroads and Casey Jones: A brief history...

By Andrew McMahan

Tennessee has a rich railroading history. The state chartered several railroads before the Civil War, creating a system of track that was strategically vital for both Union and Confederate forces. These lines were also important for trade, turning a few Tennessee towns into shipping hubs. Until the construction of modern highways during the twentieth century, railroads were the dominant form of long-distance travel for both passengers and freight. One of the most famous railroad dramas in the United States had a strong connection to Tennessee.

The train engineer John Luther “Casey” Jones, now a folk hero, was born in a rural section of Missouri. As a boy, he moved with his family to Cayce, Kentucky. He later acquired the nickname “Casey” as a reference to his hometown. He subsequently moved to Jackson, Tennessee, where he married Janie Brady on November 25, 1886. He continued living in Jackson with his wife and eventually had three children.

Marriage record for John Luther "Casey" Jones and Janie Brady. Madison County Marriages Vol. I

Casey Jones had shown interest in the railroad as a young boy, and endeavored to become an engineer upon adulthood. He achieved this dream working for the Illinois Central Railroad. Jones was held in high esteem by his employers and fellow railroad workers and was known to run his locomotive quickly in order ensure that his train arrived on time. A few of his coworkers admitted that Jones did take risks, however he had only nine reprimands for safety violations and had not committed any such violation in the year prior to his death.

Casey Jones' locomotive, Engine No. 382. Dept. of Conservation Photograph Collection

After arriving in Memphis on the evening of April 29, 1900, having just completed a run, Jones and his fireman Sim Webb received word that the conductor of the south-bound passenger train the New Orleans Special, was sick and unable to perform his duties. Because no other engineer was available to make the run to Canton, Mississippi, Jones volunteered to take the sick man’s place and requested that his No. 382 be hooked up to the passenger cars. Jones climbed into the cab of No. 382 at 12:50 a.m., more than an hour and a half behind schedule, and ventured out into the foggy night. Determined to arrive on schedule, Jones ran the No. 382 at high speeds, sometimes traveling over 70 miles per hour, considerably faster than the normal 35 miles per hour average. Surprisingly, Jones was able to make up much of the lost time during his high-speed run. It looked as though Jones would be able to arrive in Canton on schedule.

A traffic jam had developed further down the line in Vaughan, just north of Canton. Jones received orders that the trains at Vaughan were to move from the main line to the siding so that he could pass by unimpeded. Unknown to Jones, one of the trains that he was to pass had suffered a malfunction which locked the brakes and stranded several freight cars and the caboose on the main track. He carried on barreling toward Canton. Jones rounded a blind curve just outside of Vaughan at high speed and was suddenly met by a caboose sitting on the track. Jones told Webb to jump, and in a desperate effort to stop the train the engineer applied the brakes, shut the throttle, and pulled back the reverse lever. Webb jumped from the locomotive, sustaining minor injuries. Although witnesses claimed Jones was able to slow the locomotive from 75 to about 35 miles per hour, No. 382 plowed through the caboose and several freight cars before derailing. According to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, Casey Jones was “. . . found lying under the cab, with his skull crushed and the right arm torn from its socket.” However, thanks to his efforts, none of the other employees or passengers was killed or suffered serious injuries. His body was returned to Jackson and buried.

Sheet music for "Casey Jones." Kenneth D. Rose Sheet Music Collection

The circumstances surrounding the accident remained the subject of debate for years afterward. The Illinois Central’s official report stated that Jones had not heeded signals of the flagman or the warning torpedo placed on the track to warn the oncoming New Orleans Special about the stalled freight train. (A warning torpedo is a device placed on top of the track that emits a loud bang when run over by a train, signaling the crew to stop.) The IC maintained that Jones was solely responsible for the collision because he failed to acknowledge these warnings. However, Webb claimed that there was no torpedo on the track or flagman to alert the train.

Railroad accidents were not uncommon during this time, yet Jones became a folk hero after his death. Wallace Saunders, an African American engine wiper working for the IC, devised several verses about his friend’s tragic demise. The song proved popular among railroad men and Saunders frequently sang the tune for others. Soon after, two vaudeville performers incorporated the song into their act. The Southern California Music Company copyrighted the song “Casey Jones,” and T. Lawrence Seibert and Eddie Newton took credit for the words and music respectively. “Casey Jones” became a hit in the United States and around the world. Millions of copies of the sheet music were sold. Although he originally created the tune, Saunders never received any form of payment or royalties.

Sim Webb, the fireman on No. 382, talks about the famous wreck during the opening ceremony of the Casey Jones Museum in Jackson, TN. Dept. of Conservation Photograph Collection

Jones’ legacy lives on in Jackson, Tennessee. In 1956, the town opened the Casey Jones Railroad Museum in the house where he and his family lived at the time of his death. Janie Jones and Sim Webb were both present at the grand opening, along with Governor Frank Clement and several other Tennessee politicians. The museum celebrates Casey’s life as well as the age of steam engines. Some rooms in the house are furnished as they were when the Jones’ lived there, while others show artifacts and exhibits related to railroad history in the United States.

Casey Jones Museum in Jackson, TN, September 9, 1966. Dept. of Conservation Photograph Collection

Janie Jones at the Casey Jones Museum opening, April 30, 1956. Casey’s portrait is in the background. Dept. of Conservation Photograph Collection

The Tennessee State Library and Archives is a division of the Office of Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett

Tennessee’s Turn-of-the-Century Automobiles

By Andrew McMahan

Automobiles gained traction relatively quickly in the United States. Tennessee was no exception. However, good roads were largely confined to urban areas in the Northeastern U.S. Like other southern states, Tennessee’s roads were largely insufficient to handle automobile traffic at the beginning of the twentieth century. In fact, rural southern roads were often ill-equipped to handle horse and foot traffic. The Tennessee State Highway Department did not yet exist. Instead, these roads were often overseen by county officials and badly maintained by convict or statute labor. Statute labor in the South involved local governments requiring citizens to provide labor for public works projects. This system was largely unsuccessful and resulted in poor quality of work. According to House Bill 839, passed by the General Assembly in 1899, all males between the ages of eighteen and fifty were subject to road labor for a period of four to eight days out of the year. However, Tennesseans subject to road duty were permitted to pay fifty cents per day they were required to work to the local commissioner, freeing them from the labor obligation.

A muddy dirt road near Cookeville, 1912. Library Collection.

The lack of good roads in the United States was not due to the absence of the means or expertise to build them, but because many people felt there was no real need for the improved infrastructure. Travel by railroad was faster and more economical than any form of highway transportation at the turn of the century. As a result, rural roads had long been neglected in favor of railroads. By the beginning of the twentieth century, Americans, especially those in rural areas, had grown tired of the railroad’s dominance of overland transportation. Farmers in the South were often isolated by their roads, which often only connected them to the nearest railroad station.

Lucy G. Drane in a Buick automobile on West Avenue in Clarksville, ca. 1909. Looking Back at Tennessee Collection.

Despite the poor state of the nation’s roads, Tennesseans and other Americans began purchasing automobiles. Technological advancements and developments such as Ford’s Model T made automobiles increasingly affordable, enabling more people to purchase them. The total production output for American automobile manufacturers in 1900 was 4,192 units, most of which were built by numerous small shops around the country. In 1908, the year in which the Model T was released and General Motors was founded, production rose to 65,000 units. Additionally, almost 400,000 automobiles were registered in the U.S. As more and more Americans purchased automobiles during the early decades of the twentieth century, the Federal and state governments began spending millions of dollars on new and existing infrastructure in order to accommodate increased traffic. This included large-scale road building projects such as the Dixie Highway and, eventually, the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways.

Automobile being washed in Kettle Creek, Clay County, 1924. Library Collection.

Many Tennesseans were already purchasing and driving automobiles during the first decade of the twentieth century. The Tennessee State Library and Archives houses the Secretary of State Automobile Registrations for the years 1904-1914 (Record Group 111), which is comprised of the earliest automobile registrations in Tennessee. These are organized by year and then by county. They reveal a wealth of information, including who owned automobiles and which counties had the most registrants. Additionally, the registrations record what each individual was driving. The Big Three (General Motors, Ford Motor Company, and Chrysler) did not yet dominate the American automobile market in 1904. Instead, several smaller manufacturers competed for sales. In fact, both the Automobile Manufacturers Association and the Automobile Club of Michigan compiled a list of around fifteen-hundred manufacturers in the United States producing automobiles in the early twentieth century, though most of them were gone by the World War I. Perhaps your ancestor drove an REO, a Ford Model C, a battery-powered Runabout from the National Motor Vehicle Company, or a steam-powered 1904 Touring Car from the White Sewing Machine Company.

Automobiles manufactured by Marathon Motor Works of Nashville, 1910. Looking Back at Tennessee.

Edward C. Andrews' automobile registration. Record Group 111.

This particular registration was for Edward C. Andrews of Nashville and his 20 horsepower, gasoline-propelled Marmon, built by the Nordyke and Marmon Company. Because Andrews lived in Nashville, we were able to look up his name in the city directory for 1905. Andrews was an executive at the Liberty Mills Company, a manufacturer of flour, meal, and grits. As shown on the back of the form, Andrews transferred the automobile and registration to Goodloe Lindsley (of Lindsley Real Estate) in 1906.

Note transferring the registration from Edward C. Andrews to Goodloe Lindsley. Record Group 111.

This record group does not only consist of automobile registrations for individual citizens, but for companies as well. The following registration is for five gasoline-powered Runabouts built by the Ford Motor Company for the Cumberland Telephone and Telegraph Company (later purchased by the Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company, which was purchased by AT&T). These were among the first automobiles from the Ford Motor Company registered in Nashville as well as the State of Tennessee.

Registration for the Cumberland Telephone and Telegraph Company. Record Group 111.

These registrations can yield fascinating information. Come take a look and see where your ancestors fit in Tennessee’s automotive history. Also, for those interested in transportation, be sure to look at TSLA’s other collections, such as the Tennessee Department of Highways and Public Works Records, 1913-1972 (Record Group 84).


Sources Cited:

Tennessee General Assembly. House of Representatives. House Bill 839: An Act to Regulate the Working and Laying Out of Public Roads in This State. 51st General Assembly, 1899.

Secretary of State Automobile Registrations, 1904-14, Record Group 111. Tennessee State Library and Archives. Nashville, Tennessee.

Tennessee Department of Highways and Public Works Records, 1913-1972, Record Group 84. Tennessee State Library and Archives. Nashville, Tennessee.

Ingram, Tammy. Dixie Highway: Road Building and the Making of the Modern South, 1900- 1930. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2014.

Rae, John B. The American Automobile: A Brief History. University of Chicago Press, 1965.

The Tennessee State Library and Archives is a division of the Office of Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett