Atlantic Mississippi and Ohio Railroad stock certificate 1879 (Virginia) - signed William Mahone

Affordable autograph! Hand signed by William Mahone (as Wm Mahone), Confederate war hero as president. Typical hole punches through signature but still a premium piece. Autograph validated with higher priced certs online. Issued and cancelled. Dated 1879 in the text.

We are lucky to have several of these, allowing us to sell way below market pricing.
All are in similar condition with cancellation holes through signature as shown in example images.

Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio Railroad (AM&O) was formed in 1870 in Virginia from three railroads which traversed the southern portion of the state. Organized and led by former Confederate general William Mahone (1826-1895), the 428-mile line linked Norfolk with Bristol, Virginia by way of Suffolk, Petersburg, Lynchburg, and Salem. 

The AM&O went into receivership after the U.S. Financial Panic of 1873 but reincorporated in 1874 (as shown on this cert). After several years of continuing financial problems, Mahone's relationship with the bondholders soured, and he was removed as trustee, but was permitted to continue to lead operations. Finally, in 1881, the AM&O was sold at auction. It was acquired by other U.S. interests based in Philadelphia who outbid Mahone. They were already building Shenandoah Valley Railroad and had a new commodity in mind: bituminous coal. The AM&O was renamed to Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W).  The N&W was combined with the Southern Railway to form Norfolk Southern Corporation (NS) in 1982.

Three pre-civil war era railroad lines were combined to form the AM&O. They are listed from east to west:

Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad
The Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad, organized by Dr. Francis Mallory of Norfolk was built between 1853 and 1858 by a young civil engineer named William Mahone (1826-1895). It featured an innovative and durable roadbed through a portion of the Great Dismal Swamp and an arrow-straight 52-mile tangent between Suffolk and Petersburg. Mahone was named its head in 1860.

South Side Railroad
The oldest predecessor was the City Point Railroad a 9 miles (14 km) long line to Petersburg completed in 1838. In 1854, it became part of the South Side Railroad. The South Side Railroad was the middle section of the AM&O, stretching 132 miles from City Point (part of today's City of Hopewell) to Lynchburg in 1854.

Virginia and Tennessee Railroad
The Virginia and Tennessee Railroad extended 204 miles (328 km) from Lynchburg to Bristol. It made important westward connections which reached New Orleans, Louisiana, before the war began in 1861.

All three railroads were severely damaged during the American Civil War (1861-1865). After Virginia seceded in April 1861, William Mahone, as its president, used the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad (N&P) to deliver a small force to Norfolk to secure the Gosport Navy Yard, an important resource for the Confederacy. After Union leaders declined a request to surrender possession, he used an N&P train and other deception to bluff them into thinking large numbers of rebel troops were arriving, causing them to abandon the shipyard with no loss of life. He accepted a commission in the Confederate Army and during the remainder of 1861 and until May 1862, also continued as head of the N&P. Mahone was relieved of N&P duties in 1862 as he took on increasing responsibilities with the Confederate Army. He was active in many campaigns and was an able leader during the war, best known as the hero of the Battle of the Crater in 1864 where he rallied troops and foiled an initial Union success during the Siege of Petersburg.

William Mahone (December 1, 1826 – October 8, 1895) was a civil engineer, railroad executive, soldier, and politician.

As a young man, Mahone was prominent in the building of Virginia’s roads and railroads. As chief engineer of the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad, he built log-foundations under the swamp that are still intact today. According to local tradition, several of the new railroad towns were named after the novels of Sir Walter Scott, a favorite author of Mahone’s wife Otelia.

In 1853, he was hired as chief engineer to build the new Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad. Still in use 150 years later, Mahone's corduroy design withstands immense tonnages of modern coal traffic. He was also responsible for engineering and building the famous 52 mile-long tangent track between Suffolk and Petersburg. With no curves, it is a major artery of modern Norfolk Southern rail traffic.

In 1854, Mahone surveyed and laid out streets and lots of Ocean View City, a new resort town fronting on the Chesapeake Bay in Norfolk County. With the advent of electric streetcars in the late 19th century, an amusement park was developed there and a boardwalk built along the adjacent beach area.

In the American Civil War, Mahone was pro-secession and served as a Confederate general. He was best known for regaining the initiative at Petersburg, when the Southern troops were in shock after a huge mine was exploded beneath them (Battle of the Crater, July 1864), and his counter-attack turned the engagement into a disastrous Union defeat.

After the war, he returned to railroad building, merging three lines to form the important Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio Railroad (AM&O), headquartered in Lynchburg. He also led the Readjuster Party, a coalition of blacks, Republicans and Conservative Democrats, becoming an independent Senator in 1881. His willingness to caucus with Republicans cost him some support from the white electorate, as did his relatively lenient treatment of African Americans.

 
Product descriptions and images
Please note that some pictures may only be representative of the inventory available.  If we have more than one piece, we are unable to scan and display every piece.  Unless otherwise noted, that there are variations for signatures, cancellation marks/holes, serial number, and dates.  Colors will be as noted and pictured.