The cornerstone of Locomotion: Railroads and the Making of Atlanta is the restored locomotive Texas. The engine was built in 1856 for the Western & Atlantic Railroad, which had established its terminus in 1837 at the site that became Atlanta. For that reason, the locomotive is an important link to the city's origins.
Another important link to the city's origins is the Zero Mile Post - one of the city's most significant artifacts. Recently relocated to Atlanta History Center, the Zero Mile Post is the 1850s Western & Atlantic Railroad marker around which Atlanta grew. Positioning the Zero Mile Post beside the recently restored Texas locomotive, one of the two remaining Western & Atlantic locomotives [the other being the General] that would have passed by that very mile post scores of times during its service. Railroads built and created Atlanta, and these two objects tell Atlanta's origin story like no others.
The Georgia Building Authority has agreed to a five-year renewable license agreement with Atlanta History Center to preserve and interpret the Zero Mile Post, which was installed in the 1850s to mark the Southern terminus of the Western & Atlantic Railroad. The site, near the Georgia Freight Depot, was used to determine the city center of Atlanta in 1842.
Daily entrance fee for Free with membership
Open Tuesdays - Sundays 9AM-4PM
Closed on Mondays
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