About Goldsboro, N.C.-- Part 2: A Railroad Town and Sherman Target

There is a picture of the Kiwanis Miniature Train that operates Saturdays and Sundays from April to September in Herman Park from 1 to 5 p.m..  Herman Park is across Jackson Street from where my family lived from the 1920s.  I used to ride that train a lot as a kid.

Even though there are no longer passenger train service to Goldsboro, there are still a lot of railroad tracks that have to be crossed, many still used for freight trains.

"Goldsboro's a railroad town, built on the tracks between Wilmington and Raleigh, named after Matthew Goldsborough, a railroad man.  During the Civil War, Sherman had Goldsboro in mind when he burned through the South, hoping to get ahold of bustling tracks,  He did."

People in Goldsboro loved these tracks, but hated them as well.  One April night 91 years ago, a group of unnamed people got fed up with the dirty, noisy trains coming through the center of town, causing fires and sooting up everything and went out in the darkness and pulled the tracks up and stacked them in a neat pile in Center Street.  They even have a DeRailebration Ceremony in honor of it.

The train company sued the city, which just went ahead and paid it.

--RoadDog

About Goldsboro, N.C.-- Part 1: It's a Railroad Thing

From the July 2016 Our State Magazine (North Carolina) by Eleanor Spicer Rice.

"Wherever you go in this Wayne County city, you'll find yourself crossing railroad tracks."

Very true.  of course, a big reason for Goldsboro's existence involved railroads.  It made the city a target for General Sherman's Army during the Civil War when it was also part of the important Wilmington and Weldon Railroad which kept Lee's Army supplied.

Goldsboro is my home city, where I was born back 65 years ago.  So, it is special to me.  My family has lived there since around 1900 and up until the end of last year, were in the same house since the 1920s.

--RoadGold

Cold Ahead-- Part 16: Photo-Enforced Lights and "Uncle Billy"

NOVEMBER 21, 2014, FRIDAY:  Second Day on the Road.

Mighty cold this morning, but at least no frost on the car windows to contend with when I left.  Not as cold as yesterday, but still cold, especially this far south as I was.  Took the Exit 110 road south from the motel, figuring I would be able to run into US-33.

Encountered lots of those mean old photo-enforced lights and they seemed to be "out to get me."  There is a point where you have to make an instant decision, "Do I or Don't I Go Through."  I certainly don't want a$100 fine.  Lots of traffic on the road, but in eight miles, I was at US-33 and don't think I got a photo-enforced ticket.

Gas along the first stretch of the road was $2.73.  I am now entering Lancaster, Ohio, home of "Uncle Billy" Sherman, yeah, that infamous Union general who, 150 years ago was into his March to the Sea across Georgia and making "Georgia howl" while encouraging his army to "forage liberally."  Georgia still howls over it.

--RoadDog