The Illinois
Central Chicago to New Orleans main line originally ran through
Jackson, TN in front of our building, part of the old Mississippi
Central Railroad. The Mississippi Central began running in 1860.
The IC Historical Society website indicates through operations
started in 1872 and the line was connected to Cairo, Illinois in
1873. The part of the railroad from Jackson, Tennessee to Cairo,
Illinois became known as the Cairo District. In 1874, the IC RR, as principal bondholder, took charge. As
of 1877, this line was renamed the Chicago, St. Louis and New Orleans
Railroad, a subsidiary of the Illinois Central.
By 1900 the Chicago to New Orleans main route had shifted
to Memphis. Casey Jones
made his last run that year.
He lived about a block north of this location.
In
1908 the trackage through Jackson by our building took on a new
importance, when the route to Birmingham, Alabama opened. In 1909 a new passenger train (the Seminole
Limited) from Chicago to Florida was inaugurated, featuring a brass
railed observation car. Later
simply known as the Seminole, it became a maid of all work, carrying
much mail and express, with heavyweight equipment.
It even had a Jackson, Tennessee to Chicago Pullman sleeping
car at one time, which was switched on and off the train at this
location. The Seminole made its last run in June
1969.
The
Division Office building was constructed circa 1920, on the site
of an older structure, which had functioned as a depot. Nelson Thornton has restored the exterior
to its original brick red color, with "railroad green"
roofing. For about
the second half of the 20th Century and until repainting
in 2003, it sported a gray exterior.
Around
1930 the Mississippi Division headquarters of the ICRR was moved
here from Water Valley, Miss., and housed in this structure.
There was a roundhouse and turntable across the tracks toward
the cemetery. The roundhouse lasted until the late 1960's.
Train
Dispatchers, telegraphers, traffic representatives, agents, and
various officials including the Division Superintendent were housed
in the Division Office Building.
In the late 1950's the dispatchers were moved to Carbondale,
IL, but a train order office, open 24 hours a day, continued in
operation in the left front room (now used by the Public Defender's
secretarial staff).
The
1950's also saw the transition of freight power from the powerful
"Mountain" style steam engines to black diesels wearing
the IC green diamond emblem.
The
IC Restaurant and John's Café were on the other side of the
tracks and once catered to hungry railroaders.
The
City Of Miami, the finest Chicago to Florida streamlined train that
ever ran, began service in 1940. It was first painted in a citrus scheme and later in chocolate,
orange and yellow. It
touted the finest in dining, observation-lounge, all-room sleeping
cars, and reclining seat coaches together with the latest diesel
power, and occasionally ran in multiple sections during the winter
season. Illinois Central's innovative management leased dome sleeping
cars from the Northern Pacific railroad, painting them in IC streamliner
colors for use during peak winter travel times; and they purchased
dome coaches in the middle 1960's for service on the train year
round. Until 1958 the
"City" made its stop at Union Station a mile north of
here; the stop was then moved to the former freight house that was
across Sycamore Street from our building.
Both the southbound train on April 30, 1971 and the final
northbound run on May 1, 1971 had funeral wreaths on the nose of
the lead diesel, placed by caring railroaders in honor of the train's
fine service.
Fast
freights also had a big role here, including the Southeast Merchandise
hotshot, SE1, and Birmingham to Chicago fast freight BC4.
Switch engines, first in the Chester street yards nearby,
and later in Frogmoor yard south of here in the Forked Deer River
bottoms, worked around the clock.
By
the 1960's, employee timetables indicate this line was part of the
St. Louis Division of the IC, and specifically the Cairo District.
Officials still housed here included a trainmaster and traveling
engineer. Upon merger with the GM&O RR in 1972, additional employees
worked here under ICG (Illinois Central Gulf) management, including
Alabama Division officials.
A 1976 employee timetable refers to this location as Chester
Street and this moniker was commonly used by railroaders. The crew
caller's office was housed in the building beginning in the middle
1970's. By 1983 the trainmaster's office had moved out to rented office
space, leaving the traffic people and ICG Credit Union, which moved
that year, ending the rich railroad history. Operations through Jackson had shifted to the former GM&O
mainline on the east side of town. The last railroad operation by
the building was in 2001 when the Jackson Sun ceased shipping by
rail.
Now
the phoenix has risen from the ashes and the building has a new
life, but the owners and tenants haven't forgotten the roots of
the building. Historic
railroad photographs and timetables are on display in the hallways. And, if you look really hard down the
platform south of here about 8:30 a.m., you can almost see the rotating
Mars headlight of train 52, the City of Miami, rounding the curve,
and hear the multi chime whistle singing its mournful melody.
Contributed
by
George Morton Googe, 2-2-04
