Todd Defeo 128 pages softcover
The Memphis, Clarksville
& Louisville Railroad is a perfect example of rail lines in the
mid-nineteenth century. Chartered in 1852, the line ran from Paris,
Tennessee, to the Kentucky state line and connected with two other
routes to create a seamless link between Memphis and Louisville. It
shortened the travel time between major economic cities, but its ability
to make money didn't match its founders' aspirations. Its detractors
ridiculed the route as "beginning in the woods and ending in a hollow
tree." Following the Civil War, the railroad revitalized the line, only
to run out of money and largely fade away. Author Todd DeFeo recounts
the fascinating story of a historic line.
