Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac: Petition

Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac: Petition

Railroads/petitons

For my research project on the Potomac railroad during and around the civil war (focusing on governmental proceedings), I will use a document called the Richmond, Fredericksburg, & Potomac Railroad: Petition. This petition will make my project relative to the location in which I live in as it talks about the potential of extending the railroad from Fredericksburg to Aquia Creek, near Stafford. A major part of the railroad has already been built and is operational between the Roanoke River and the railroad in general not necessarily operated by RFP starts in Wilmington, NC. This was part of a series of petitions to the General Assembly that were the primary catalyst for legislation in the Commonwealth from 1776 until 1865. Public improvements, military claims, divorce, manumission of slaves, division of counties, incorporation of towns, religious freedom, and taxation were just some of the concerns expressed in the petition.
The reader of my Omeka exhibit will understand in context that the state of Virginia had interest in controlling some stocks of the improvement projects, which will help the state [government] make more money. Even though at that time, the cost of extending the railroad to Aquia was very high (around $247,000), the bigger challenge was, for instance, safely transporting goods and mail (and as time progressed, troops for the civil war as the extended railroad matured), the petition called for the potential of a further extension from Aquia to Washington DC, but because of the iciness of the river during the several weeks of winter, it has been proposed that they build the railroad around Warrenton and into Washington from the west (where the Potomac River is significantly smaller).

Legislative Petitions of the General Assembly, Virginia

Library of Virginia

22 January, 1839

Mohsenyan, Shahir

English