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| E.K. Boxcar possibly near Grayson c.1900 |
The Eastern Kentucky Railway required raw materials in the form of ore, coal, and lumber in
order to continue to build and hopefully make a profit. Where would it find the desired materials?
Grayson was at one time known
as the Crossroads, but was renamed Grayson in 1838 after Colonel William Grayson, who owned a considerable amount
of land in the area. Thirty-four years later, as the Indian Wars continued in the west, the Eastern Kentucky Railway added 10.37 miles of track
to Grayson. Stops were added at Hopewell and two miles north of Grayson at Pactolus. Land values climbed, coal mines
opened, mills were built, and investment possibilities were in all directions. The general offices of the Eastern Kentucky Railway remained at
Riverton, but the shops were moved from Hunnewell to Grayson and enlarged.
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| E.K. pass 1871 |
The shops for the E.K.R.Y.
were located right downtown. I will try add a link under E.K. Today to a couple of articles by Don Mills. The articles
are called Remnants. They deal with various tangible E.K.R.Y. items that remain today in the communities long the
old rail line.
The Grayson and Pactolus area would
become and remain the center of business for the Eastern Kentucky Railway until the railway ceased in the 1920s.
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| Old coaches and depot at Grayson shortly after abandonment |
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| Second No. 5 on turntable at Grayson c. 1915 |
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