Goldston, NC

Goldston is a small town in south Chatham County. It was settled in 1885 and incorporated in 1907. It was named for Joseph Goldston on whose land the town was developed. It is at an altitude of 424 feet. The A&Y had sidings for a capacity of 30 cars. The 1943 employee timetable indicates that a couple of miles south of town was Boren’s, a customer of the A&Y. I believe that Boren’s was a brick or other clay products company.

The Goldston station as it appeared in 1966. (North Carolina Collection — see acknowledgements.)

The ICC valuation photograph of the Goldston station.

The ICC engineer described the Goldston station as 23′ × 72′6″ with a high wood platform 4′6″ wide on each side and end of freight room. The platform was boarded up to 4′ high with 2″ boards. Thirty-five 12″ × 12″ wood posts supported the freight end. The freight room floor was 36″ above the passenger room floor. Freight room walls were lined to 6′ high with 1″ boards and the floor was wood planks. Brick piers 24″ square supported the passenger end. The passenger platform had 275 yards of chert (a flint-like gravel) laid 9″ thick. There was 105′ of 7″ × 16″ and 60′ of 3″ × 12″ wood curb containing the platform chert.

A stock chute “painted 2 coats” was also in place at the valuation. A 10′ × 12′ × 8′ section tool house was also on the property. The ‘Type 13’ tool house had a 11′ 6″ gable roof and is described as “identical with tool house at Dalton.”

I took these two contemporary lineside building photos on a rainy day during my visit in September 1999. The structures sit side by side.

I have had a resident confirm that these existed when it was the A&Y running past, at least in the 1940s. This building was a “white” grocery store, according to a resident who also recalls a shack behind it that was the “black” grocery store owned by Edgar Womble.

An image from the ICC valuation maps gives a fair idea of how the track and depot were laid out.

This image of an A&Y track gang managing the track along Bonlee was sent to me by John D. Porter. These are the men who spent time in the section houses located at towns up and down the line.

I found this depot image on eBay, but a date and the photographer are unknown. My guess is this is a fairly recent image given the state of the depot. I did not win the auction. A resident of Goldston has suggested this photo was taken in the 1980s.

This Bank of Goldston check was from the Eagle Gin Company, Inc. — Dealers in Cotton, Seed, Cotton Seed Meal — dated November 13, 1920.

I don’t know if the Eagle Gin Company, Inc. was located in Goldston, but it did business there!