Lost Railroad Unearthed: Traces Remain at Cobb County Mall

A Civil War-era abandoned railroad route ends at a modern-day shopping mall in West Cobb County, leaving only a few historic relics still visible from its troubled and nearly-forgotten past.

A lost and forgotten railroad in West Cobb County reveals a few relics of its hidden past, when you know where to look.Photo byDeanLand / OurTravelCafe.com

Shoppers at The Avenue West Cobb often step over a small plaque along the mall's sidewalk that marks the end of the abandoned railroad. Though the railroad originally was meant to connect the Western and Atlantic Railroad mainline in Marietta to stone quarries 12 miles away in Polk County, then on to Alabama, the planned route was never completed. A graded path once ran from near Kennesaw Mountain to the site of the present-day shopping center, where work was abandoned.

According to a variety of historical records, the Polk Slate Quarry Railroad was created in 1859. The company planned to build a spur railroad for hauling slate from west Georgia. It was planned to stretch westward from the Western and Atlantic Railroad line, the main north-south freight and passenger line running between Chattanooga and Atlanta, for 12 miles to the Polk Slate Quarry in Paulding County. Historical documents suggest that the railroad eventually would be extended to Jacksonville, Ala. There it would connect with the Alabama & Tennessee River Railroad, making the route a total of about 95 miles long.

Records show that permits were issued in 1860 for grading the railroad’s route. Work began during that period, but the railroad was never completed.

Historical maps of the Atlanta Campaign of the Civil War were created by the United States War Department following the war “to accompany the official records of the Union and Confederate armies.” Those large-scale atlas maps clearly show a “railroad partly graded” in the area.

Historical atlases created in the post-Civil War period show the railroad, indicated as "RR Partly Graded." The route is highlighted here.Photo byDeanLand/OurTravelCafe.com

When overlaid with current-day maps, the unfinished railroad route:

1. Begins at the current location of The Avenue West Cobb.
2. Crosses present-day Highway 120 near Sterling Estates Memory Care and Browns Lake,
3. Continues east through today’s Helmswood subdivision,
4. Crosses Mud Creek, running further east, through the intersection of Ernest Barrett Parkway and Zachary Woods Drive.
5. Terminates at today’s intersection Mount Calvary Road NW and Fairhill Lane NW.

Overlaid on a modern map, the lost railroad route begins at The Avenue West Cobb, crosses Highway 120, spans Mud Creek, ending at KeMo.Photo byDeanLand / OurTravelCafe.com

During construction of The Avenue West Cobb, historians found evidence of the abandoned railroad and examined the site. Documents located at the office of the shopping complex indicate that the researchers found:

• A 20-foot-deep cut in the surrounding landscape, never finished to final grade,
• A 175-foot-long grade, or gradually-sloping path to accommodate a climb and descent, and
• A 55-foot-long rock and stone culvert for drainage,
• All along a 650-foot section of the railroad route.

With time and development, most evidence of the abandoned railroad has been lost or destroyed. Photographers Elaine and Bruce (Buck) Roberts captured images of the rock and stone culvert, plus other photos of the raised railroad bed running through a wooded area along Mud Creek.

Today, a plaque at the business offices of The Avenues West Cobb includes information and multiple ghostly pictures of the nearly-forgotten railroad and its exploration by historians. A small outdoor plaque on the east side of the complex marks the location where the partially-graded rail corridor ended.

This plaque near the offices at The Avenues West Cobb provides additional history about the lost railroad.Photo byDeanLand / OurTravelCafe.com

Follow DeanLand on Newsbreak

We write mostly about Georgia topics -- outdoors, family activities, fun local finds, and outings. Occasionally, we venture further, too. To enjoy more articles about fun, family-oriented Georgia activities, follow DeanLand on Newsbreak. You can also find more from DeanLand at OurTravelCafe.com.