Question: What was North Carolina’s first railroad?
Answer: There are two, actually, that claim the honor of being North Carolina’s first railroad. During the 1830s, many states began building railroads. North Carolina’s legislature chartered 25 railroads that decade, but only two would come to fruition: the Wilmington & Weldon (originally chartered as the Wilmington & Raleigh), and the Raleigh & Gaston. Both began operations in 1840.
