Macon and the New South, 1877-1908: Macon Streetcar and Trolley System

After the conclusion of the Civil War in the late 1800s, the southern states had begun to go through their healing period. Slavery had been abolished, so the South had lost its source of production in a way. There were those who were angry, but on the other side of the spectrum, there were those that hoped the South would make a more economic and social advancement in order to catch up to the progress that had been occurring in the North. This ideal was known as the “New South,” promoted by those such as Henry Grady. The New South was projected throughout the south, including the little town of Macon, Georgia. There were some areas where the ideas of the New South flourished, and there were others where they were the exact opposite. For example, the trolley and streetcar systems in Macon created economic growth and an increase in social mobility, but they created hazardous conditions for those walking the streets.

The trolley and streetcar system in Macon lived up to the expectations of the New South and delivered a positive impact on the city of Macon. In the height of trolley use, Macon was projected to be a prime location to start the expansion of the rail line. It was about one hour away from Atlanta as well as Indian Springs, which was growing as a new tourist hot spot. Macon’s streetcar companies where forcing many to take note of the valuable land surround the city. They were expecting new luxury pleasure resorts to begin building throughout the major trolley stops among middle and North Georgia. The commercial and tourism rose economic development for Macon, as seen in an old article published in the Telegraph. Macon and Atlanta were combining their tracks, creating the possibility for more economic growth and an influx of people into the city. The trolleys themselves made for a “cheap and rapid mode of transportation, and [they ran] a quick schedule, so as to bring close together every section of country through which it [passed]” (“Future”). With the expansion of the rail system, jobs were becoming more accessible to Macon citizens between the building of the rails and cars, to the extra work available due to the increased tourism. Not only did the trolley system help the city of Macon economically, but it also helped increase the social mobility of people to Macon and the surrounding areas. The connection of the trolleys between Atlanta and Macon allowed for more people to make their way down, increasing the amount of tourists and new inhabitants. Those who had jobs in the city no longer had to make as costly of commutes back and forth to work each day. It was also one of the few places that forced rich and poor to share close proximity as well as mixing white and blacks together. With the expansion of trolley rails, Macon including the rest of Georgia were taking a step forward into the “New South”.

Unfortunately, the working and running conditions of the trolley system did not exactly match up to Henry Grady’s ideas of the New South. The trolleys themselves were entirely safe, and there were times when those who controlled the cars were not perfectly attentive of their surroundings. For example, in May of 1903, a very prominent man in Macon was killed by a streetcar due to the lack of concentration of those controlling the car itself. As one of the men involved in the accident stated during the trial: “‘I had my back turned on the motorman to adjust the trolley when the accident occurred. I felt the car jerk several times and then stop. I looked ahead and saw some one’s hat fly in the air’” (“Justice”). Obviously the men in charge were not paying attention to their surroundings, ultimately endangering the lives of the civilians around them. Furthermore, even those who did not even work with the trolley company were injured because of trolley related equipment they had to work around. Different companies, such as the telephone company and electrical company, had to work around the dangerous trolley system wires, sometimes killing themselves in the process due to various accidents involving the trolley system equipment. During the summer of 1896, a black man named George Johnson who worked for the telephone company was at the top of the telephone pole trying to attach a wire. “While he was attaching the wire, it became crossed with a trolley wire” (“ALL”). George fell and was holding onto the wire with his bare hands. He then received the full force of the current from the wires of the trolley, falling into even more wires below him. His workmates went up the pole and grabbed him just as he was falling. “George’s arm was fully burned to the bone”(“ALL”), while other parts his body were also scorched. George was working near a large bunch of wires unprotected, demonstrating the horrid circumstances around him. This situation is a prime example of how Henry Grady’s ideas of the New South did not really play out. Even though he envisioned a place where the working conditions were equal and safe, the South, unfortunately, did not end up fitting that description.

The trolley and streetcar system in Macon followed Henry Grady’s perception of the New South almost perfect economically and mobility wise, but fell short when it came to the working conditions. The addition of the trolleys helped increase the amount of people coming into the city, which eventually led to an upsurge in business for the city and settlement in and around Macon. Also, the trolleys and streetcars allowed Macon to become more accessible from other neighboring cities, thus causing a boost for mobility. On the other hand, the trolleys consisted of horrible working conditions, leading to lifelong injuries and sometimes death. People were either struck by the incoming streetcars, or electrocuted to death by working around the numerous wires. Trolleys for their positives and negatives would be one of the most important elements that would bring Macon into the New South.