The west side of Savannah was the terminus for several railroad lines as well as the Savannah-Ogeechee Canal. The city’s main industrial quarter during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries developed adjacent to these transportation facilities. The largest rail facility was the Central of Georgia, which in 1976 was designated and preserved as a National Historic Landmark district. The Central was founded in 1833 to link the port of Savannah with Georgia’s interior, primarily to facilitate the export of cotton. Rail operations began in 1837 and the 190-mile main line to Macon was completed in 1843 (creating one of the longest rail lines in the world at the time). By 1851 the line had expanded to some 295 miles of track with a substantial increase in locomotive power and rolling stock. Such rapid growth made the original 1840s railroad depot, located on the site of the passenger terminal (7.1.1), inadequate and led to the creation of the present railroad complex. The nearby Savannah-Ogeechee Canal, though theoretically superseded by the railroad, proved to be very successful and facilitated additional cargo shipments from the interior. The area would also support the development of early industrialized water works facilities for the city.
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