By Liesha Wessinger-Huffstetler
In the old days, if you wanted to travel to Columbia, you had to pack up the wagon, load supplies for both horses and humans, and prepare for a two- to three-day journey. The road, which followed the original Highway 176 route, was nothing more than a dirt path.
Eventually, the horse-drawn wagon gave way to the steam-powered iron horse, revolutionizing travel for everyone.
The South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company built a rail line from Charleston to Columbia in 1842. A railroad depot was constructed at 700 Gervais St. in 1850. According to SCIway’s South Carolina Encyclopedia, part of the depot served as a wayside hospital for sick and wounded Confederate soldiers traveling through South Carolina until 1865. Gen. William T. Sherman’s troops destroyed the depot, along with much of Columbia. The depot and railroad tracks were eventually rebuilt.
The book Receipts and Recollections, by Christie Powers Zimmerman, describes her childhood experiences traveling by CN&L train in the late 1890s. The train was dusty, with wide-open windows, and had a water cooler onboard filled with chunks of ice. She recalled how the train swayed back and forth, making it fun to walk through the cars. She and her sister were “thrilled at the speed of the train, probably at 15 miles an hour.” She also remembered the clanging bell and smoke pouring from the steam engine’s stack.
According to the SC Picture Project website, the South Carolina General Assembly chartered the Columbia, Newberry and Laurens Railroad on Christmas Day in 1885. Its 75-mile line between Columbia and Laurens was completed in 1891. The railroad acquired several nicknames, including “The Dutch Fork Line” and the “crooked, noisy and late” railroad.
While a wagon journey from Charleston to Columbia could take at least two weeks, the railroad made it possible for passengers and commerce to travel much more quickly between the state’s interior and Charleston.
One train ran daily, leaving Columbia at 11:15 a.m. and stopping at Gervais Street, Leaphart, Irmo, Ballentine, Hilton, Whiterock, Chapin, Little Mountain, Slights, Prosperity, Newberry, Jalapa, Kinards, Goldville and Clinton before reaching Laurens. It then reversed its route and returned to Columbia at 4:55 p.m.
Another train left Columbia at 6:20 p.m. and arrived in Laurens at 9 p.m. It departed Laurens the following morning at 7:10 a.m. and arrived back in Columbia at 10:50 a.m.
The railroad tracks crossed land owned by Martin Chapin and passed near his sawmill operation. Chapin sold the land needed for the railroad, and the stop became known as “Chapin’s Mill.” Eventually, that name became the name of the town, which was already part of a thriving and established community in the Dutch Fork.
Here’s a little side note: Another large landowner in the area at the time was Sidney Clark. Had the railroad passed through his property instead, perhaps the town would have a different name today!
My grandfather, George Frick, was born in 1906 and often told me about taking day trips to Columbia by passenger train. He also recalled how people would gather at the Chapin train depot to see who was getting off the train and catch up on the day’s news.
Next week, we’ll be chugging along for more of Chapin’s choo-choo train history!
