The Tallahassee to St. Marks railroad began operations in 1837 under the Tallahassee Rail Road Company, which had been incorporated in 1834. The line was a single-track railroad twenty-three miles long and at first used mule-drawn cars. In 1839, a steam locomotive was added and the line was extended to Port Leon. With a seaport terminus serving a rich agricultural hinterland, the railroad carried a large volume of cotton business during the antebellum period.