Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway Company (Signed by James Davis Porter)
Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway Company (Signed by James Davis Porter)
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Product Details
Beautifully engraved antique stock certificate from the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway Company dating back to the 1880's. This document, which is signed by the company President (James Davis Porter) and Secretary, was printed by the National Bank Note Company and measures approximately 11" (w) by 7 1/2" (h).
This piece features two nice vignettes - a train exiting a roundhouse at the top and a locomotive and tender at the bottom.
Images
You will receive the exact certificate pictured.
Historical Context
The Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway operated in the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia. It began as the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, chartered in Nashville in December 1845 and was the first railway to operate in the state of Tennessee.
It took nine years to complete the 150 miles of line between the Nashville & Chattanooga, a task which was made much more difficult by the steep elevations of the Highland Rim and Cumberland Plateau lying in between. A tunnel of 2,228 feet near Cowan, Tennessee was considered an engineering marvel of its time. Due to the difficulties of the terrain, this line between Tennessee cities actually crossed over into two neighboring states, Alabama and Georgia, for short distances. New towns sprang up along the line during construction, such as Tullahoma and Estill Springs.
During the Civil War, this line became highly strategic to both the Union and Confederate armies. The Tennessee campaigns of 1862 and 1863 saw Union troops force the Confederates back from Nashville to Chattanooga almost exactly along the line of the railroad. It was repeatedly attacked, sabotaged, damaged, and repaired, and was used at various times to supply both armies.
After the war, the company made acquisitions of other, smaller lines to the north, and was reincorporated as the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway (NC&StL) in 1873 (although none of the company's tracks ever actually entered St. Louis, Missouri). In early 1877, the NC&StL purchased the assets and name of the bankrupt Tennessee and Pacific Railroad from the state and operated it as a spur to Lebanon, Tennessee.
The Louisville and Nashville Railroad, an aggressive, potential competitor of the NC&StL, gained controlling interest in it in 1880 with a hostile stock takeover that created massive civic rancor between the cities of Nashville and Louisville. The two railroads continued to operate separately for over 75 years before finally merging in 1957. Despite the takeover, the NC&StL was allowed to continue to grow with the acquisition of various branch lines in Kentucky and Alabama and expansion from Nashville to Memphis. In 1890 the railroad reached Atlanta, Georgia, by successfully leasing the state-owned Western and Atlantic Railroad.
The L&N, itself controlled by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in the same fashion that the L&N controlled the NC&StL, was merged in to the Seaboard System Railroad, and then into the CSX freight rail conglomerate, which continues to use the original NC&StL tracks between Nashville, Chattanooga and Atlanta.
James Davis Porter
James Davis Porter's Signature
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James Davis Porter (December 7, 1828 – May 18, 1912) was an attorney, politician, educator, and officer of the Confederate Army. He served as Governor of Tennessee from 1875 to 1879. He was subsequently appointed as Assistant Secretary of State during President Grover Cleveland's first administration, and Minister to Chile in Cleveland's second administration.
As an elected state legislator on the eve of the Civil War, Porter had introduced the "Porter resolutions," which bound Tennessee to the Confederacy should war be declared. He served during much of the war as chief of staff to Confederate General Benjamin F. Cheatham, and saw action at various battles in Tennessee and Georgia.
Porter spent his later years as chancellor of his alma mater, the University of Nashville, and as president of Peabody College. This was established at the University of Nashville during his gubernatorial administration. He oversaw the liquidation and transfer of the University of Nashville's assets to the Peabody Education Fund, which allowed Peabody College to be re-established near Vanderbilt University in 1909.
General Information
Certificates carry no value on any of today's financial indexes and no transfer of ownership is implied. All items offered are collectible in nature only. So, you can frame them, but you can't cash them in! All of our pieces are original - we do not sell reproductions. If you ever find out that one of our pieces is not authentic, you may return it for a full refund of the purchase price and any associated shipping charges. |
Shipping
We make every effort to ship out all orders within 24 hours of receipt. We ship the majority of orders via the USPS. Shipping within the United States is $5.00 regardless of the number of certificates you purchase. If your order exceeds $30, shipping is FREE! International shipping costs, as well as upgraded services such as Priority and Express Mail, and UPS and DHL services, are calculated during checkout. OVERSEAS ORDERS PLEASE NOTE THAT WE DECLARE FULL ORDER VALUE ON ALL SHIPMENTS. CUSTOMER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL VAT/CUSTOMS CHARGES. As soon as your order is shipped you will receive your tracking information via email. |
Returns
You may return any merchandise, for any reason, within 30 days of the purchase date for a full refund of the purchase price. We guarantee all of our pieces to be authentic. If you ever determine that a piece is not authentic, it may be returned for a full refund of the purchase price as well as any associated shipping charges. |
FAQ
Are the certificates offered on your site genuine or reproductions? All of the certificates you see on our site are genuine pieces, we do not sell any reproductions. Â
Are the certificates you sell negotiable on any of today's stock markets or indexes?Â
No. All of the pieces we sell are either canceled or obsolete and have collectible value only.Â
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It depends. We try to present images of the exact piece you will receive whenever possible. However, when we are offering quantities of a piece, this is impossible. The best way to determine if the images presented are of the actual piece you will receive or are representative, is to click on the "Product Details" or "Images" tab. The description presented will let you know.Â
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How will you ship my order and how much do you charge? We ship all orders via the United States Postal Service. For orders taking advantage of standard (First Class) shipping, we offer flat rate pricing, so you pay only the advertised shipping charge regardless of the number of pieces you purchase. Current charges may be reviewed here. Priority and Express Mail, UPS and DHL services are also available, and costs are calculated during checkout.
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Can I return my purchase?Â
Absolutely. You may return any merchandise, for any reason, within 30 days of the purchase date for a full refund of the purchase price.
We guarantee all of our pieces to be authentic. If you ever determine that a piece is not authentic, it may be returned for a full refund of the purchase price as well as any associated shipping charges.  |