For more than a century, railroads have powered American industry. By connecting farms, forests, and factories to distant markets, rail networks transformed regional economies into a united national marketplace and helped our nation expand at a rapid pace. Freight rail lowered transportation costs, accelerated delivery, and enabled large-scale manufacturing — driving incredible economic growth.

Cherokee County’s history reflects this transformation. When the Marietta & North Georgia Railway reached Canton and Woodstock in the late 1800s, it reshaped the county almost immediately. Within a decade, Canton Cotton Mills was shipping textiles nationwide, and Canton nearly doubled in size. What had long been rural farmland began shifting toward industrial and commercial development, with Atlant

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