The Chesterfield Railroad, chartered by the Virginia General Assembly in 1829 and constructed in 1831, was the first railroad in Virginia and one of the earliest in the United States. Built to haul coal from the Midlothian mines to Manchester's wharves on the James River, it was designed by railroad pioneer Moncure Robinson (1802-1891) with track on which cars were powered by gravity, horses, and mules. It remained in operation until the Richmond & Danville Railroad began providing service to the area in 1851.