Where was Butterworth on the Petersburg railroad.

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I was looking in an 1886-1887 Petersburg railroad annual report and mentions that an overhead bridge at Butterworth's was rebuilt. Does anyone know where this is or was?

-- Eric Corse (acleric@mindspring.com), December 06, 2001

Answers

After a search through my collection, I was unable to turn up a direct answer to your question. But... Here's a "clue". There is a Butterworth on US Hwy 1, and the old SAL, between Dinwiddie and DeWitt, Virginia. See DeLorme's VIRGINIA Atlas, available at most chain bookstores. Since station names of the early era with "'s" on the name indicated the property owner where the station was, it could be that Butterworth also had property on the Petersburg RR. This would have put the overhead bridge in your Annual Report somewhere near Carson, or maybe Stony Creek.

While it is possible that there was no Butterworth's Station on the Petersburg RR, it should be noted that the railroads paid the OFFICIAL GUIDE for the space for their listings and were notorious for omitting smaller stops from their tables so as not to run over the space paid for. This is especially true in the 1870's-1880's issues.

You may have to contact the Virginia State Library, or county historical socities, to actually pin down an answer to this question.

-- Tom Underwood (tlunder@attglobal.net), December 07, 2001.


"Butterworth's" is not shown as a station on the Petersburg RR in either the June, 1886, or June, 1888 Official Guide. Sorry I couldn't help.

Bob Hanson

-- Robert H. Hanson (RHanson669@aol.com), December 06, 2001.


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