Whites gladly appropriate ferries run by Ross and Ridge, and with the early agriculture, these are the main businesses of the early days. When the state announces the Western and Atlantic Railroad, a group of Rome businessmen build an 18-mile spur from Kingston to Rome. Rail is not the only form of transportation important in these early days. Rome is crossroads of Indian paths that spread from the base of the Appalachians to Alabama in the west and Augusta in the east. And the mighty Coosa is navigable most of the time to the Gulf of Mexico.
Steamboats are a common sight on the rivers of the city.
Cotton, however, is not as common as one might imagine. In fact, Rome imports most cotton before the war. It is not until after the war that the city becomes a large cotton exporter. According to Bobby McElwee of the Rome Area History Museum , the major export before the Civil War is lumber. The city grows and by the war had foundries, industry, a railroad and cemeteries.