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 Plank Roads Chartered In North Carolina
   The first plank roads or "Farmers' Railroads" in North Carolina were chartered in 1849. These wood covered roads had a brief life, during the late 1840s and 1850s. By 1865, plank roads had past their heyday. 




   		    While railroads were beginning to be constructed in North Carolina, other enterprises were building plank roads (click for additional information) or turnpikes. Upkeep problems, the Civil 
War and expansion of railroads all were causes in the demise of the plank road by 1865.
   However, only about a dozen actually built such roads, totalling about 500 miles by 1860. Some of the late constructed roads received permission to complete the roads using material other than planks, such as McAdamized roads. The incorporators of these companies had to raise the necessary capital investment to launch the company. Where several roads were authorized for a community, the companies competed for financial support sometimes resulting in no plank road being constructed. Fayetteville was the exception, supporting numerous such roads.
   There were 84 companies chartered in the 1840s and 1850s to build plank roads (charter date follows name).
 1849
Fayetteville & Western Plank Road Company — Jan. 27, 1849; built from Fayetteville to Bethania.
Wilmington & Mansonboro Plank Road Company — 1849
Wilmington & Walker's Ferry Plank Road Company — 1849

1850
Greenville & Raleigh Plank Road Company Dec 28, 1850; built road from Greenville to Wilson between 1851 - 1853 (only portion completed); company folded in 1861.
Fayetteville & Centre Plank Road Company  — Dec. 28, 1850; renamed as the Fayetteville & Albemarle Plank Road Company in 1855; built to the west of Fayetteville
Fayetteville & Southern Plank Road Company  — Dec. 28, 1850; built to Lumber Bridge  

1851
 Asheville & Greenville (SC) Plank Road Company — Jan. 15, 1851 - 1866; the road was constructed south of Asheville. In fell into disrepair during the Civil War and its charter was repealed in 1866.
Raleigh & Summerville Plank Road Company  — Jan. 27, 1851
Granville Plank Road Company  — Jan. 27, 1851
Garysburg & Occoneechee Plank Road Company — Jan. 27, 1851
Fayetteville & Northern Plank Road Company — Jan. 28, 1851 - abandoned 1866; built to Kingsbury
Fayetteville & Warsaw Plank Road Company — Jan. 28, 1851; built to Clinton.
Wilmington & Top Sail Sound Plank Road Company  — Jan. 28, 1851
Concord & Taylorsville Plank Road Company  — Jan. 28, 1851
Anson Plank Road Company  — Jan. 28, 1851
Salisbury & Taylorsville Plank Road Company  — Jan. 28, 1851; built the section from Salisbury to the Iredell County line, but then went out of business due to costs, planned North Carolina Railroad and failure of stockholders to fully pay for their stock subscriptions.
Roanoke & Tar River Plank Road Company  — Jan. 28, 1851
Western Plank Road Company — Jan. 28, 1851; this road was completed in 1853 from Charlotte through Rozelle's Ferry (over a then new toll bridge) to Lincolnton; road tolls were set at 4 cents a mile.
Charlotte & Taylorsville Plank Road Company — Jan. 28, 1851

1852
 Graham & Gulf Plank Road Company— Nov. 20, 1852; in 1853, construction began from Snow Camp in Alamance County to Gulf in Chatham County. 
Haywood & Pittsboro Plank Road Company — Nov. 20, 1852
Concord & Anson Plank Road Company — Nov. 29, 1852
Chapel Hill & Durhamville Plank Road Company —  Dec. 17, 1852
Fayetteville & Raleigh Plank Road Company — Dec. 17, 1852; built north of Fayetteville
Haywood & Chapel Hill Plank Road Company — Dec. 17, 1852
Spartanburg & Rutherfordton Plank Road Company — Dec. 21, 1852
Charlotte, N.C., & Cheraw, S.C., Plank Road Company —  Dec. 22, 1852
Salisbury, Mocksville & Wilkesboro' Plank Road Company — Dec. 22, 1852
Ashborough & Salisbury Plank Road Company — Dec. 25, 1852
Caswell Plank Road Company —  Dec. 25, 1852
North Carolina Steam Carriage & Plank Road Company — Dec. 25, 1852
Uharie & Yadkin Plank Road Company — Dec. 25, 1852
Washington & Tarboro' Plank Road Company — Dec. 25, 1852
Chapel Hill & Raleigh Plank Road Company — Dec. 27, 1852
Duplin Plank Road Company — Dec. 27, 1852
Greensboro & Deep River Plank Road Company — Dec. 27, 1852
Haywood & Raleigh Plank Road Company — Dec. 27, 1852
Jacksonville & Trent River Plank Road Company — Dec. 27, 1852
Kingsbury & Locksville Plank Road Company — Dec. 27, 1852
Kinston & Snow Hill Plank Road Company — Dec. 27, 1852
Locksville & Hillsboro' Plank Road Company — Dec. 27, 1852
Lumberton & Columbus Plank Road Company — Dec. 27, 1852
Neuse River & Snow Hill Plank Road Company — Dec. 27, 1852
Pedee Plank Road Company — Dec. 27, 1852
Robeson & Richmond Plank Road Company — Dec. 27, 1852
Rutherford & Cleaveland Plank Road Company — Dec. 27, 1852
Swift Creek Plank Road Company — Dec. 27, 1852
Tarborough & Endfield Plank Road Company — Dec. 27, 1852
Tarboro' & Rocky Mount Plank Road Company — Dec. 27, 1852
Winston & Wilkesboro' Plank Road Company — Dec. 27, 1852

1855
 New River & Wilmington & Top Sail Plank Road Company — Jan. 14, 1855
Chapel Hill & Morrisville Plank Road, Tramroad & Turnpike Company — Feb. 3, 1855
Fair Bluff & Conwayborough Plank Road Company — Feb. 3, 1855
Greensborough, Madison & Virginia Plank Road Company — Feb. 10, 1855
Hillsboro' & Chapel Hill Plank Road Company — Feb. 10, 1855
Richlands & New River Plank Road Company — Feb. 12, 1855
Waccamaw & Shalotte Plank Road Company — Feb. 12, 1855
Alamance & Caswell Plank Road Company —  Feb. 13, 1855
Mocksville & Wilkesborough Plank Road Company —  Feb. 13, 1855
Statesville & Wilkesboro' Plank Road Company — Feb. 13, 1855
Trenton & Hawisville Plank Road Company —  Feb. 13, 1855
Alexandriana Plank Road Company — Feb. 14, 1855
Chapel Hill & Durhamsville Plank Road & Turnpike Company — Feb. 14, 1855
Chatham & Randolph Plank Road Company — Feb. 14, 1855
Hillsboro' & Milton Plank Road Company — Feb. 14, 1855
Jacksonville & Trent River Plank Road Company — Feb. 14, 1855
Pasquotank & Perquimans Plank Road Company — Feb. 14, 1855
Raleigh & Cape Fear Plank Road Company — Feb. 14, 1855
Randolph & Thomasville Plank Road Company — Feb. 14, 1855
Rutherford & McDowell Plank Road & Turnpike Company — Feb. 14, 1855
Snow Hill & Atlantic Plank Road Company — Feb. 14, 1855
Thomasville & Clemmonsville Plank Road Company — Feb. 14, 1855
Warrenton Plank Road Company — Feb. 14, 1855
Greensborough & Martin's Lime Kiln Plank Road Company — Feb. 16, 1855
Hamilton & Enfield Plank Road Company — Feb. 16, 1855
Iron Hill & Whitesville Plank Road Company — Feb. 16, 1855
Lenoir & Duplin Plank Road Company — Feb. 16, 1855 
Locksville & Cumberland Plank Road Company — Feb. 16, 1855
Mineral Plank Road Company — Feb. 16, 1855
Rocky Mount & Franklinton Plank Road Company — Feb. 16, 1855
Salem & Clemmonsville Plank Road Company — Feb. 16, 1855
Salem, Winston & Virginia Turnpike & Plank Road Company — Feb. 16, 1855

1861
Dover & Trenton Plank Road Company

Additional information will be posted in the near future.

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