One of my Wikipedia projects is an entry for the Raleigh and Gaston Railroad: North Carolina’s first commissioned railroad. I’ve needed a photo to help illustrate the article but few if any physical remnants remain, the price of a state government that has traditionally shown little regard for Raleigh’s history.
I learned in April where the old Raleigh and Gaston train station used to be. I also discovered a cornerstone was still there as of the early 90s, yet all my searching for it came up empty. Its spot has been paved over for a state government parking lot.
Yesterday I found out the cornerstone still exists. To my delight, someone in my building mentioned it could be found at the North Carolina Museum of History. This morning before work I stopped by the Museum. One of the collections people took me to the basement, threw open the freight elevator, and walked me to it. Sure enough there was the cornerstone! The red brick was gone but the stone chiseled with “Raleigh and Gaston Railroad” was there.
I’m happy to know someone thought to save at least this piece of Raleigh history. I now have a bunch of photographs of the cornerstone to choose from for the Wikipedia page. At the very least it was fun tracking it down!