Richmond & Danville RR 1880s PAIR unissued certificates - Crisp and Beautiful

Description

Very beautiful PAIR of crisp and unissued stock certificates--one brown and one green, each with a high-stack locomotive and the Virginia seal.  These are just drop dead gorgeous.
The
Richmond and Danville Railroad
was chartered in
Virginia
in the
United States
in 1847. The portion between
Richmond
and
Danville, Virginia
was completed in 1856. The railroad was only 140 miles (230 km) long during the
American Civil War
but it played a vital role in linking Richmond to the rest of the Confederacy.
After the war, it grew to become the Richmond and Danville Railroad System, eventually covering 3,300 miles (5,300 km) in 9 states. In 1894, the R&D became part of the
Southern Railway
. In 1990, it became part of today's
Norfolk Southern Railway
.
The new railroad was championed by
Whitmell P. Tunstall
, a
lawyer
in
Chatham, Virginia
who was also a member of the
Virginia General Assembly
. Construction on the 140-mile (225 km) long line began in 1849 under the supervision of Col.
Andrew Talcott
, who was later to become the R&D's general manager. By 1850, the new railroad had reached
Coalfield Station
, near the coal mines in an area known today as
Midlothian
in western
Chesterfield County
. There, it competed with the mule-powered
Chesterfield Railroad
. Lawsuits followed, but the older railroad, the first in Virginia, was quickly supplanted by the competition.
By the end of 1851, the new line had reached
Jetersville
in
Amelia County
. Two years later, it was completed to a point near
Drakes Branch
, and had been graded to
South Boston
in
Halifax County
.
Following successful Union attacks on
April 1
,
1865
, Confederate Gen.
Robert E. Lee
decided to abandon
Petersburg
and head west and south in an attempt to join Gen.
Joseph Johnston
's army in North Carolina.
After evacuating Richmond the next day, on
April 2
,
1865
, Confederate President
Jefferson Davis
and his cabinet left Richmond on the R&D. The departing Confederates set fire to the bridge across the James River between Richmond and
Manchester
. They traveled to Danville, where they attempted to set up a temporary government.
On reaching Amelia Courthouse during the morning of
April 4
,
1865
, Lee's first thought was for the commissary stores. He found ordnance supplies in abundance, but no food. Lee waited 24 hours in vain there for R&D trains to arrive with badly needed supplies.
Union
cavalry, meanwhile, sped forward and cut the Richmond & Danville at
Jetersville
. Lee had to abandon the railroad, and his army stumbled across rolling country towards Lynchburg. On the morning of
April 9
,
1865
, "Palm Sunday", Lee met Grant in the front parlor of
Wilmer McLean
's home near
Appomattox Court House
to surrender.
With the support of Virginia Governor
Francis H. Pierpont
, on
September 13
,
1865
,
Algernon S. Buford
became president of the 140-mile (230 km) Richmond and Danville Railroad (R&D). Damage from the war, including the bridge across the
James River
between
Manchester
and
Richmond
was repaired.
Over the next 20 years, as R&D President, Buford and leaders including Richmonder
James H. Dooley
extended the trackage to three thousand miles. The R&D's early acquisitions included the
Piedmont Railroad
in 1866, and the
North Carolina Railroad
in 1871.
By 1890, the R&D System covered 3,300 miles (5,300 km) of track in Virginia,
North Carolina
,
South Carolina
, Georgia,
Tennessee
,
Alabama
,
Mississippi
,
Arkansas
, and
Texas
. However, the R&D System had become financially unstable during all the growth.
Additional Information:
You geat a PAIR of unissued certificates with each purchase.
Your pair of certificates will have the exact same design, but it will not be the exact certificate pictured--it may have a different number. I had more than one pair of these when I listed this.
Terms and Conditions:
FREE POSTAL SERVICE FIRST CLASS MAIL SHIPPING to the United States.
Uninsured International, including Canada, shipments are .00.
All international shipments that request insurance and registered mail will be charged for this service.
I have been a member of the American Philatelic Society since 1978 and have been selling on eBay for years.
Virginia buyers must pay our Governor's 5.3% sales tax unless you email a PDF of your resale certificate within 24 hours of the end of the auction.
Buy with trust and confidence.  I will work to make you happy.
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