Cochran, Virginia facts for kids
Cochran is a small place in Brunswick County, Virginia. It's called an unincorporated community. This means it's a group of homes and businesses that isn't officially a town or city with its own local government. Cochran is located in the U.S. state of Virginia.
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Discovering Cochran: A Railroad Town
Cochran's story is closely tied to the railroad. The community grew up right next to a train line that used to be very busy.
The Richmond, Petersburg and Carolina Railroad
A railroad called the Richmond, Petersburg and Carolina Railroad was finished in 1900. This train line passed right through Cochran. It connected Petersburg, Virginia, all the way down to Ridgeway Junction, which is now called Norlina, North Carolina.
Joining the Seaboard Air Line
As soon as the railroad was completed in 1900, it became part of a bigger company called the Seaboard Air Line (SAL). This was a major railway system at the time.
Cochran's Population in the Early 1900s
By 1914, the railroad company estimated that about 200 people lived in Cochran. This shows that the railroad helped the community grow and become a small settlement.
The Railroad's Legacy Today
The Seaboard Air Line, sometimes called the "S-line" after some mergers, kept running trains through Cochran until the 1980s. Today, the part of the track that goes through Cochran is no longer used. It's an abandoned section of what was once the CSX Norlina Subdivision.
