Transportation
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The Lancaster & Chester Railway, founded in 1896, began as the Cheraw & Chester Railroad, chartered in 1873. The C&C never finished its route and was sold to Col. Leroy Springs (1861-1931) for $25,000, then renamed the Lancaster & Chester Railway. A narrow gauge line running only 29 miles from Chester to Lancaster, it was converted to standard gauge track in 1902 at a cost of $125,000. The L&C carried freight and passengers from 1896 to 1913, but after a 1913 accident it carried only freight. Springs's son Elliott White Springs (1896-1959) succeeded him as president and named 29 vice presidents, one for each mile of the road. The depot built in 1951 and designed by Joe Croxton included the L&C offices. From 1902 to 1994, Springs Mills was the L&C's largest customer, hauling coal and cotton to its plants.
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Lancaster, South Carolina · United States
