A Pioneer Railway of the West
By Maude Ward Lafferty
This restoration of a portion of the original track of the
Lexington and Ohio (now Louisville and Nashville) Railroad
laid at Lexington in 1831, is dedicated to those men of
forethought and courage who were pioneers in railroad
development in America.
Erected Anno Domini
MCMXVI.
Dedication Exercises
10 A. M.
May 30, 1916
College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering
University of Kentucky
During the month of July, 1915, there appeared in a local newspaper anaccount of the finding of "Old Rail Stones" and "Old Strap Iron Rails"which had been used in the construction of the railroad generally knownas "the old Lexington and Frankfort Road," though it was incorporatedunder the name of the "Lexington and Ohio Rail Road." It is believed bymany to have been the first railroad west of the Alleghany Mountains.Be that as it may, the quaint and interesting relics had just been dugup that week by the workmen who were reconstructing the freight yardsof the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. The workmen were moving morerecently laid tracks back to the old original road bed of the pioneerrailroad, and in doing so they unearthed those curious relics of 1831.
Although just starting that very day for a summer vacation, I hurrieddown town a little before train time, and went to the Main Streetoffices of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad where the interestingrelics were on display.
As I stood gazing at that worn and rusty bar of iron with its singlebent and rusty spike, I was whisked back across the years by somestrange trick of memory and I saw, instead, a dimly lighted sick room,on a hot summer night—myself a little sufferer, and sitting beside me,fanning my fevered brow, my beloved father, who, notwithstanding thefatigue of a heavy and exacting practice sat thus night after night,soothing me to sleep by telling me entertaining stories of his youth,and as he was born one hundred and one years ago, the strangeexperiences of his boyhood were thrilling indeed to his youthful adorer.
And so, I saw in my mind's eye that familiar room of my childhood—theopen window, the breezes blowing the curtains to and fro, the moonlightcasting strange shadows on the terrace outside, and I heard again thatvoice which has meant so much to me telling how "when the first railroadstarted" and all the people had gathered from far and near "to witnessits departure," he and a group of fellow students from TransylvaniaUniversity, mounted on fast horses, galloped ahead "to see if theWonderful Thing could round the curve without running off the track";and how "it came in sight, thundering along, puffing out clouds of blacksmoke, the engineer adding to the confusion by incessantly blowing hisshrill whistle," all of which so terrified his horse, he had greatdifficulty in keeping his seat, but yet, how tremendously impressed hewas by the "gallant way in which the gentlemen seated in the coach