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.