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Historic Profiles

Perhaps a Misnomer, Greene County Railroad Helped Develop Walton County, Georgia

The Greene County Railroad is a bit of a curiosity. Its name would suggest it served — or at least passed through — Greene County, but that’s not the case. The railroad’s predecessor, the Bostwick Railroad, built a seven-mile line from Bostwick to Appalachee, which was on the Central of Georgia line between Macon and Athens. A report in the Feb. 22, 1907, edition of the (Athens, Ga.) Weekly Banner noted the road “has been completed to the city limits of Appalachee, and on the first of March the line will be completed and trains run into that little city.

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CSX

End of the Line for Famous Athens trestle?

For years, the famed “Murmur Trestle” in Athens, Ga., has attracted R.E.M. fans from around the globe. But, time may be running out for the 130-year-old trestle, The Wall Street Journal reported. Athens-Clarke County purchased the trestle, off Poplar Street near Dudley Park, in 2000 for $25,000 after CSX Transportation started to raze the structure. The local government planned to incorporate the bridge into a regional trail system, but in December announced a planned trail would bypass the historic trestle, the Athens Banner-Herald reported. The trestle was built in 1883 and served the Georgia Railroad and later CSX Transportation, according

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CSX

Athens trestle a music landmark

ATHENS, Ga. — To most passersby, the old, abandoned railroad trestle off Poplar Street near Dudley Park probably wouldn’t garner much of a reaction. But, to music fans, especially those of Athens native R.E.M., the trestle is a landmark. Gracing the back of the band’s 1983 album “Murmur,” the bridge is best known today as the Murmur Trestle. The trestle was built in 1883 and served the Georgia Railroad and later CSX Transportation, according to the Athens Banner-Herald. The bridge hasn’t been in use since 1998. “To R.E.M. fans, the trestle represents a piece of R.E.M.’s history,” one fan told