Atlanta’s Zero Mile Post

By Joe Earle

The Zero Mile Post marks Atlanta’s beginnings. It originally stood at the place where the Western & Atlantic Railroad’s terminus became Terminus, a settlement that eventually grew into the city we know as Atlanta. For decades, the Zero Mile Post was literally the center of town, as Atlanta’s city limits were measured at a fixed distance from the post.

“It’s a really important part of our history,” said Jeff Morrison, an architect who occasionally leads tours of the places where Atlanta began as a railroad town. His tours used to include the post.

But Atlanta being Atlanta, the Zero Mile Post has now all but disappeared from public view. The 42-inch-tall granite post is locked away inside a building that is owned by the state of Georgia and no longer in use.

Now the mile post faces a new threat: reconstruction work on the Central Avenue Bridge is scheduled to begin soon and may mean the post must be moved.

The Georgia Building Authority, which maintains the property that houses the mile post, says it will announce in August whether the post can stay where it is or must be relocated to another site. “We haven’t made a decision yet,” GBA communications director Morgan Smith-Williams said in early June.

“There are arguments on both sides,” Smith-Williams said.

“There are arguments that the significance of the post is where it is, because of what it marks and not the post itself. But on the other side, it’s not where people can visit it, so there’s an argument to move it to a place where it would be more visible.”

The Atlanta History Center offered to include the granite marker in the center’s collection of Atlanta’s historic artifacts, which now includes a replica of the post. But others with an interest in Atlanta history argue the post should stay where it is, near Underground Atlanta and close to the site it originally was erected.

“What we need to do is leave it where it is, but make it more accessible,” Morrison said. “It really hasn’t moved much at all since the 1850s. I think it would be a shame for us to move it now.”

The dispute over whether to move the marker caught some officials by surprise. But they’ve found a bright side to the debate, too. “We realized how many people are passionate about Atlanta’s history,” Smith-Morgan said. “It’s refreshing.”

Ride the Rails

The Historic SAM Shortline Railroad offers a unique view of Georgia life planned a no-meal option to allow for extra riders.

By Judi Kanne

This year, the Historic SAM Shortline Railroad season started with a visit from Cupid. It seems there’s a lot of love going around on the old-fashioned train ride. It was January when the annual Valentine’s dinner trip was announced — and reservations came rushing in from all around the Southeast.

The SAM Shortline is the successor to the Savannah, Americus and Montgomery railway — hence the name SAM — which was chartered in 1888. The current route runs from Cordele, Ga., west to Archery, Ga., and serves several picturesque towns along the way, including Plains, Ga.

The diesel-electric locomotive pulls several climate-controlled, 1949 vintage rail cars, allowing passengers to enjoy a mix of yesteryear with the excitement of today’s South, according to Terry Miller, Site Manager for the Historic SAM Shortline Railroad.

“The Valentine’s dinner event is such a favorite with couples from outside the local area that it sells out almost immediately,” Miller said. To resolve the overflow of this year’s Valentine’s Day crowd, Miller said that they immediately

“Our late-ticketed passengers still enjoyed popcorn and holiday treats while taking in the fun of riding on one of Georgia’s historic trains,” he said. And no one seemed disappointed.

Yet this and other SAM Shortline rail excursions may fall into the category of one of Georgia’s best-kept secrets — at least for metro Atlanta residents.

The train is currently in full swing for the summer. Excursions operate most Fridays and Saturdays. It leaves from either the Cordele station or nearby at Georgia’s Veterans State Park during the summer months, with a few extra special event days.

Depending on which day you travel, the train stops long enough for passengers to get on and off the cars, usually about five minutes, although a few itineraries offer a longer stopover with time to walk and shop.

In fact, Miller says that full-day excursions have at least one such stop. “This provides leisure time for passengers to explore one of the towns along the route, such as Leslie, Americus or possibly Plains,” he said.

Chamblee resident Wayne Mahfuz says that he has special memories of taking the SAM Shortline with his late wife Wanda. “We rode it on three different occasions,” Mahfuz recalled.

A retired teacher in his late 60s, Mahfuz still does substitute teaching, and he has been a volunteer guide on Amtrak’s Southern Crescent train that runs between Atlanta and New Orleans. He became interested in trains by volunteering with the Trails & Rails program, a unique partnership between Amtrak and the National Park Service that educates travelers about trains and natural resources while traveling by rail.

On one SAM Shortline trip, Mahfuz remembers staying in Cordelle overnight to be ready for their early morning departure with a stopover in Plains. After returning Saturday afternoon, Mahfuz says they drove to Plains on Sunday — about 42 miles from Cordelle.

That particular day, Mahfuz and his wife watched former President Jimmy Carter teach the Sunday school lesson at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, a high point for them.

(These days, however, the President’s teaching schedule is much less frequent.)

“We had extra time on that ride to look around town,” he said, adding that all three trips created fond memories for him. “The Christmas train is a lot of fun, too,” Mahfuz said.

The SAM Shortline Railroad is operated by Georgia’s State Parks and Historic Sites. For info, special event details and to buy tickets, check the website at samshortline. com, or call toll-free 1-877-4272457, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are nonrefundable, but you can transfer your ticket to another trip if space is available. Schedules are subject to change.