Ararat (Milepost CF 8.4)
History
Ararat
is a small community in east Surry County on the Ararat River. It was named for the river, which
was named for the Biblical Mount Ararat. Ararat
has an altitude of 898 feet. A fire house and siding still exist where the tracks cross the street.
Beyond this, I know little of the community.

|
The photo to the left (click on thumbnail to view larger image) shows
the small combination station, housing both the freight room, agent's
office and passenger waiting area. The station was built in 1887 according
to the ICC valuation engineering reports. |
The
station was 30 x 50 feet with a platform extending an additional 6 on the
building ends and 8 feet on the building's front and back. The roof overhang
only covered 6 feet of the deck. The passenger waiting room and the
agent's office were at one end and both measured 15 x 12.5 feet. The
passenger end had tongue and groove flooring. The freight room filled the
rest of the station measuring 37.5 x 30 feet. The freight room's interior
had 2 inch plank floors and the walls had 1 inch boards lined vertically up to
3.6 feet from the floor. Fairbanks standard single beam scales were installed to
weigh freight. The station's exterior walls were board and batten. The
roof was metal shingles on 1 inch wood sheeting. In addition to the station, a
passenger platform and an oil house, both built around 1910 were railroad-owned
structures nearby. The platform was 175 feet long and was made of planks laid on
6 inch thick chert fill.
Track Diagram

|
Ararat had a water stop and the siding had a 15
car capacity according to an employee timetable from the 40's. Note in the
map that several stores and warehouses were located near the station and
tracks. |
Industries
A Southern Railway Shippers Guide from 1916 indicates the following
industries were located in Ararat and using the A&Y for delivering and
receiving products by rail (although some may have used the station or team
track rather than having a dedicated siding). I will add other industries, e.g.,
WJ Key & Son, as I
receive information about them:
Industry |
Goods Shipped/Rec'd |
Company Name |
flour and grist mill |
meal, flour |
J. L. Elliott |
flour and grist mill |
meal, flour |
Wm. Bennett |
saw
mill |
oak and pine |
Armstrong Bros. |
saw
mill |
oak and pine |
Wm. Bennett |
saw
mill |
oak and pine |
J. L. Elliott |
catalog
retailer |
dry
goods, Red Star shoes |
W.J. Key & Son |
Odds and Ends

|
This shot looks down the tracks in the direction of Greensboro. This is the siding where I'm guessing
the station was sited. You can almost see the small firehouse that comprises the
"downtown" of Ararat. (Click on thumbnail for larger image) |

|
Here is my photo from the
same grade crossing but looking "north" towards Mount Airy. |

|
These two images (found on eBay.com) are part of what appears to be a
catalog for the shoe department of W.J. Key & Son of Ararat. I
assume that Red Star shoes was a national brand that was retailed through
local stores, though it could be the shoes were mail ordered. My
guess is that they would have arrived in Ararat by train. |
If
you have any information regarding the history of Ararat, NC, please contact me.