Andrews' Railroad Connection
(courtesy of The Andrews Journal, written by Dee Whitt Sharp, Unofficial Historian for the Town of Andrews)

The history of Andrews is closely related to the building of the Richmond and Danville Railroad, which was completed in Andrews in the spring of 1890, the same time the original depot was built. Andrews was named in honor of the railroad's second vice-president, Col. A.B. Andrews.

W.P. Walker, a pioneer merchant who operated a general store in Valleytown, was the first person to build on the new town site in the winter of 1890. The first dwelling in Andrews was built by Sandy Mundy.

From its small beginnings, Andrews grew from two dwellings and one store to a progressive village of 1,748 citizens in 1930.

The growth of the town was slow until 1897, when J.Q. Barker of Charleston, West Virginia, located a lumber operation, Kanawha Hardwood Company, in the area currently occupied by Blevins Oil Company.

In 1905, Mr. Barker constructed a narrow gauge railroad, the Snowbird Valley Railroad, from Andrews to the Snowbird Valley. This development was the beginning of building activities in Andrews and created a demand for labor, buildings, and merchandise.

He was quite a promoter and gave much time and energy to the growth of the town. In 1905, he attended a session of the state legislature and secured passage of an act incorporating the town of Andrews.

The legislature made D.S. Russell Andrews' first mayor and J.W. Walker and J.Q. Barker the first members of the Andrews Board of Aldermen.

Also, during the same legislative session, Mr. Barker secured the passage of an act incorporating the Valleytown Township Highway Commission, which was the first road tax district authorized west of the Balsam Mountains and an act incorporating the Andrews School District. He was an officer in these corporations and spent much of his time seeing them carried to a successful conclusion.

F.P. Cover, a practical and successful tanner in Browntown, Virginia, constructed the F.P. Cover and Sons Tannery in Andrews in 1898. His enterprise furthered the demand for labor, building materials and merchandise. His industry operated continuously, thus furnishing employment to many people, and proved to be one of the best assets to the town, Cherokee County and surrounding counties. Then in 1903, Barker organized and constructed the Cherokee Tanning Extract Company.

The Andrews Lumber Company was organized in Ridgeway, Pennsylvania by E.C. Campbell, who erected a large band saw mill in Andrews in 1911. He also built a standard gauge railroad into the Nantahala area to Rainbow Springs. This company was successfully operated by Campbell and his successors until 1930.

Andrews was a big railroading town and these places offered comfortable accommodations to the visitor who might be spending the night or longer periods of time.

In the autumn of 1920, the Peavine railroad, running between Andrews and Hayesville was completed. In October of the same year, an excursion train ran on the line carrying several hundred residents of Valleytown township to "the head of the road," where they met a huge portion of the 5,000 people who lived in Clay County. Never were there as many people in Hayesville than had gathered on this occasion.

The Peavine mainly obtained revenue by hauling heavy items. On the trip to Hayesville the train would haul fertilizer, feed grain and hay. On the return trip to connect with the Southern Railroad in Andrews, the load would consist of lumber, acid wood and tan bark.

In 1951, after declaring the Peavine was operating at a loss and obtaining permission from the State Utilities Commission, operation of the railroad was discontinued and the steel rails were taken up and sold.

But the railroad was not completely forgotten. On Tuesday, July 18, 1988, the state of North Carolina purchased the 67-mile scenic railroad line (from Dillsboro to Murphy) from Norfolk Southern for $650,000. This marked the first time the state had purchased and totally owned a railroad line. In 1988 the state leased the 67 miles of track to the Great Smoky Mountain Railway (GSMR) for a 25-year period. GSMR later bought the line from Dillsboro to Andrews, while the state continues to hold the title to the Andrews to Murphy tracks.

The first GMSR excursion train rolled into Andrews on October 15, 1988. It was the first passenger train in town since 1948 when that service in Andrews was closed.

In late 1999 GSMR sold out to American Heritage Railways, owners of the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad in Durango, Colorado. The new owners made a small name change in the line. It is now called Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. While the new owners do not currently offer excursions from the Andrews depot, it may do so in the future.