Railroad Correspondence, Vintage Documents and Telegrams
Columbusrailroads.com has obtained access to Columbus railroad freight house files dating back to circa 1900. At first we were taken with the intricacies of the letterheads on some of the correspondence, but then realized the correspondence and other documents provide yet another window into a far off time in the history of Columbus railroading. We also have to admire the samples of penmanship taught in 19th Century public schools.
Telegraph was an important means of communication prior to 1950. Select "Telegrams" on the upper left for samples of Norfolk & Western Railroad telegraph traffic.
Special thanks to Bill Westhoff and Paul Maykuth for sharing their collections and Paul Maykuth for help scanning some very old and fragile documents.