Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company and Lexington and Eastern Railway Company records

Abstract

The Lexington and Eastern Railway Company (L&E) was initially incorporated as the Kentucky Union Railway Company in 1872 and was later purchased by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company (L&N) in 1910. This collection contains case files for lawsuits filed against the L&E and L&N in eastern Kentucky in the early twentieth century. Materials include correspondence, legal documents, maps, sketches, and a few newspaper clippings and photographs relating to the cases.

Descriptive Summary

Title: Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company and Lexington and Eastern Railway Company records

Date: 1911-1917 (inclusive)

Extent: 35 Cubic Feet

Subjects: Railroads -- Appalachian Region -- History.; Railroads -- Kentucky -- History.

Finding Aid Author: Processed by Beth Eifler; machine-readable finding aid created by Beth Eifler

Preferred Citation: [Identification of item], Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company and Lexington and Eastern Railway Company records, 1911-1917, 51W14, Special Collections and Digital Programs, University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington

Repository: University of Kentucky

Collection Overview

Biography / History: The Lexington & Eastern Railway Company was initially incorporated as the Kentucky Union Railway Company in 1872. The railroad's primary goal was to reach coal and timber resources in southeastern Kentucky. The original line was constructed in 1886 from Kentucky Union Junction (now L and E Junction) in Clark County to Clay City in Powell County. This line was extended west to Lexington in 1890, then east to Jackson in 1891 for a total of 92 miles. On October 16, 1894, the Kentucky Union Railway was reorganized as the Lexington and Eastern Railway Company. The Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company purchased the L&E in November 1910 and extended the line approximately 100 miles from Dumont (near Jackson) to McRoberts at the head waters of the North Fork of the Kentucky River.; These papers were collected by Samuel M. Wilson, who served as legal counsel to the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company.

Scope and Content: This collection contains Samuel M. Wilson's case files concerning lawsuits brought against the Louisville and Nashville Railroad (L&N) and Lexington and Eastern Railway (L&E) Companies. The lawsuits were mostly filed in the eastern Kentucky counties of Perry, Lee, Letcher, Breathitt, Clark, Powell, and Wolfe in the early twentieth century. Claims brought against the railroad involve damages to land and other property; land disputes; personal injuries (employee, passenger, and other); loss of livestock; railroad right of way; late, missing, or damaged shipments; delayed telegrams; court fees; and payment due to laborers. Materials consist of court proceedings and documents, other legal papers, and Wilson's correspondence with L&N and L&E officials concerning the cases. Blueprints of sketches and maps, newspaper clippings, and some photographs relating to the lawsuits are also included.

Restrictions on Access and Use

Conditions Governing Access: Collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions: Copyright has not been assigned to the University of Kentucky.

Contents of the Collection

CASE FILES

Scope and Contents note

The case files are arranged chronologically according to the original case file numbers assigned by Samuel Wilson, which are included in brackets at the beginning of each folder title. Files with no assigned case number are included after the numbered case files.

Within each folder, materials have been kept in their original order and are mostly organized chronologically from the most recent to the earliest dated materials. For preservation purposes, large case files have been divided and numbered using "abc" sequence (for example, original case file number 15 has been divided into 15a, 15b, and 15c). Oversize materials have been removed and placed in separate boxes with cross references made between each piece and its associated case file.