VA-S30 First Railroad in Virginia

Marker text: FIRST RAILROAD IN VIRGINIA

Just south of here are the earthen remains and stone culvert of the Chesterfield Railroad, the first railroad in Virginia and the second in the United States. The tramway's trains were operated both by gravity and by horse and mule power. Built in 1831 to haul coal from the Midlothian Mines to the wharves at Manchester, the tramway remained in operation until the Richmond-Danville Railroad opened in 1851.

Department of Historic Resources, 1988.