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Organized in 1833 by Savannah businessmen, the Central of Georgia Railway was chartered by the Georgia Legislature as the Central Rail Road & Canal Company. The line, connecting Savannah to the interior of the state, boosted the coastal city's seaport, which had lost business to Charleston because of the South Carolina Rail Road's inland reach. In 1843, the Central was extended from Savannah to the outskirts of Macon, and after nearly 120 years of successful operation, the Central of Georgia Railway was purchased by Southern Railway. By 1982, it became merely an accounting entry in the books of Norfolk Southern, a major transportation company.

On August 25, 1946, Savannah saw the last run of its
streetcars, which were to be replaced by gasoline-powered buses as the city gave way to modernization. For years the residents of Savannah had depended upon streetcars, from horse-drawn to electric, for travel in and around the city. This engaging collection of images explores this period in the history of Chatham County and the integral part that streetcars played in the lives of everyone in the community. When the streetcar system began operation in 1869, residents who were previously unable to afford transportation welcomed the opportunity to travel outside of Savannah for the purposes of residency, employment, recreation, and health. Billed as being beneficial to the population at large, streetcars were an instrumental force in Savannah's development both as a city and as a tourist destination. Discover in Streetcars of Chatham County the prominent citizens behind the companies, the changes that occurred in residential and commercial areas, and the evolution of the streetcar as a means of transportation. Chronicled are the histories of such influential companies as
the Savannah, Skidaway and Seaboard Railroad, and Savannah Electric Company.