HAHIRA, Ga. (WTXL) - One town landmark will have kids yelling "choo, choo" as they pass by Hahira's little red caboose.
The Jeanette Clanton, the widow of the Hahira's first City Manager explains how the caboose ended up on Main Street, "We were in Willacootchie, Georgia and they had a Caboose. The man there was big into politics and stuff. My husband said he wanted one so I told him if he talked to the man he could probably get it. So he did. And they gave it to us, but the city had to pay for the cranes to put it where it's at now."
Tobacco Farmer Fred Wetherington explains the importance of the train tracks running through the town for the tobacco industry, "The train is a big reason the tobacco market is here. They were able to move the tobacco by the trains and ship it out to other states.
The tracks are not only a landmark but are also the center of the city's history. The older the building, the closer to the tracks it is.
Architect Walter Altman says which buildings came first, "First you have the post office. People can ship their mail. And then came the train depot and then the grocery store and then the movie theater."
One railroad company, the Norfolk Southern Railroad, dates back to the late 1800s and even though it's main route was from Norfolk, VA to Charlotte, NC, is also passed through a little place called Hahira.
