Plant System After the Civil War, Connecticut entrepreneur Henry B. Plant built a network of railroads across southern Georgia and northern Florida. His key property was the Savannah, Florida & Western Railway, which he organized in December, 1879 after purchasing the Atlantic & Gulf Railway at a foreclosure sale the previous month. In 1882 he established the Plant Investment Company to acquire other railroads. One of these was the Brunswick & Western, which was added to the Savannah, Florida & Western in 1888. (The two merged in 1901.) In July, 1890, the company acquired a controlling interest in the Alabama Midland Railway, a new line between Bainbridge and Montgomery, giving the Plant System approximately 2000 miles of track. In 1901, the Plant System constructed a direct line from Jesup to Folkston, bypassing Waycross and speeding traffic along the eastern seaboard. Waycross remained an important hub, however, for Plant operations as well as those of other lines. Atlantic Coast Line acquired the Plant System in 1902. Suggested Reading: Gregg M. Turner and Seth H. Bramson. The Plant System of Railroads, Steamships and Hotels; The South's First Great Industrial Enterprise. Laurys Station, PA: Garrigues House, Publishers, 2004. 1898 map (512K)   Georgia's Railroad History & Heritage. Copyright, Steve Storey. Railroad History | The Depot List | Locomotives On Display | Odds & Ends | Sources & References | Home