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                  Iron Horse Development 1830-1860

                Barnesville was part of Pike County from its beginning until 1921. During its early stages of development it was not connected to any of the surrounding county seats until 1833. Forsyth, the county seat of Monroe County, was about 15 miles to the east. Zebulon, the Pike County seat, was about 12 miles west. Thomaston, the county seat of Upson County, was about fourteen miles to the southwest. In 1833, the Upson County Commissioners decided to fund the cutting of a road through the wilderness to Barnesville from the courthouse square in Thomaston.

                Advent of the Railroad

                With the advent of the railroad, Barnesville continued to prosper. One of Barnesville's first citizens, Benjamin Mosley Milner, helped build one of the first three railroads in Georgia. The Monroe Railroad and Banking Company was chartered Dec. 23, 1833 by the Georgia Legislature to establish a line between Macon and Forsyth. Its name was changed to the Macon and Western Railroad Company in 1845 and became the first railroad to come to Barnesville. It reached Atlanta in 1846. The Central of Georgia Railroad (also chartered in 1833) was to provide rail service between Savannah and Macon. This line connected with the Macon and Western Railroad to serve Barnesville and Thomaston. The line to Barnesville was completed in 1841, connecting the village to the main line at Forsyth. The spur line between Barnesville and Thomaston was laid in 1847. The train to Thomaston was known as "the Tom Cat" or the "Dummy" and a dummy line to Zebulon, was established. In later years, the branch to Thomaston was operated by the Central of Georgia Railroad. The Central, when completed in 1843, was the longest line built and owned by one corporation in Georgia. Other trains which were associated with service through Barnesville were the "Nancy Hanks I and II" providing service between Atlanta and Savannah; the "Goober" providing service to Griffin and on to Atlanta beginning in the late 1880s and the "Dixie Flyer" providing service between Atlanta and Miami, Florida.

                Both the Atlanta to Macon and the spur lines running through Barnesville are still being used today for freight shipping. The freight trains make several stops daily at various manufacturing plants to deliver supplies and transport finished goods to distributors. Both of these lines are located on their original beds.

                As the iron horse became more popular, the stagecoach became used less and less. The train was quicker, more convenient and certainly more comfortable than the stagecoach. The railroad brought new sources of growth: new merchants, new residents and new ideas. The population of Barnesville had grown to approximately 400 by the end of 1849 with 45 families. The center of the community was the depot. Everyone came to town or left town from the place, which was the heart of the community. People came to town to see the trains arrive or greet passengers. The business district grew up around the depot. As the village grew, a freight depot in addition to a passenger depot was built. The freight depot operations were later moved into the building that was later used by the old Georgia Knitting Mills which fronts the railroad tracks just east of the passenger depot. Today this building is used as a fertilizer warehouse by Akin Feed and Seed.

                The stockyards were adjacent to the depot as were several cotton warehouses. The planing mill was erected along the tracks in order to receive goods and ship out finished products. The second post office building was located in a building facing the depot. This building, known as the Swatts Building, is still standing today.

                The Village of Barnesville

                The village of Barnesville was established by a charter granted from the Georgia Legislature in 1852. The form of government was a Mayor-Council. This form of government is still in use today. City limits were a circle with a radius of one-half mile from Stafford's Store at Main and Market Streets.

                In 1859, the Barnesville Masonic Female Seminary was established by the Pinta Lodge #88. This school evolved into the current Gordon College.

                During this period there were three main streets leading into and out of Barnesville: Forsyth Street, Zebulon Street, and Thomaston Street. All lead to the adjoining county seats which were within 15 miles in any direction.