The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-12-23
SOUTHERN RY. .LOT IN CENTER
 IF EARLY LIFE
Site Was Presented To Geor- giaPacific In Return For Es- tablishing Railroad Head- quarters In Birmingham
22D ST. THEN REGARDED
 AS CITYS MAIN ARTERY
Many Feel New Viaduct And
 Office Building Will Give Great Impetus To Develop
 ment of This Thoroughfare

One of Birmingham's early land marks will pass when the Southern railway begins work on the 1o-story office building that 1t plans to build at the southeast corner of First avenue and Twenty-second street.
 The corner has had a railroad his- tory since first 1t was improved with the two-story building which still occupies tho sight Early In the gia-Pacific railroad. connecting Bir- mingham and Atlanta. was being built, the Elyton Land company, pioneer real estate developers of Birmingham, went after the exec utive offices of the road in true modern style. With the provision that Birmingham would be desig- mated as the site of the general of, fices of the Georgia-Pacific, instead of Atlanta. the Elyton Land com pany offered the First avenue property to the railroad without cost, The Georgia Pacific accepted this enterprising tender, and for years the headquarters of the road was maintained here. hard by the old Twenty second street bridge which in those days served for the uulHiny 1tut bO bAO tON II of Highlands. The bridge Is still in service today, though the new joint viaduct plans of the city and the railroads condemn 1t for replacement by modern structure.
 When Line Was Completed.
 T. H. Johnston of the American Lumber and Export company of this city. whose father-in-law, Major John W. Johnston. with Gen. John B.. Gordon, was ono of the prime movers of the Georgia-Pacific rail- road plans, talks Interestingly of the early days of railroading in Bir- mingham, when the line from At- lanta was first completed.
 It was about 1883 that the Georgia Pacific line to Birmingham was built. It connected with the Rich mond and Danville railroad at Att lanta and the company which built 1t was known as the Richmond and Danville Extension company. Gen eral Gordon, Major Johnston, Joseph Bryan and a group of other Rich mond capitalists were the promoters of the enterprise. Later 1t was planned to extend the road from Bir- mingham to Columbus and Green vile, Miss, and this was accom- plished about 1887. About the year 1895 the Georgia-Pacifio passed into the hands of the Richmond and Dan- vile, and subsequently, was added to the Southern Railway system. In- side the organization of the South ern, the line to Atlanta is still known as the "Georgia-Pacifio-"
 Major Johnston was the president 6f the road. His daughter, Mary Johnston, is known to millions of readers as one or tho eouth's lead ing authors. ''The Long Roll" "14s2" and many other successful novels having been the product of her pen. Mary Johnston resides now at her Virginia estate known as Three Hills." five or six miles from Hot Springs, Va, though she began her successful literary work while living in Birmingham.
 Importance Of Twenfy-secend Street.
 T. H. Johnston, son-in-law of Major Johnston. was in the employ of the Georgia-Pacifio at the First avenue headquarters.
 "In Birmingham's early days. Twenty-second street was regarded as the logical main stem of the city. rather than Twentieth street., said Mir. Johnston. "The Caldwell hotel was across the street from us. where Goodall, Brown & Go. now have their building, and the Caldwell was mo- table hostelry in more ways than one. for a town the size of Birmingham then. Major Johnston believed in the future of this particular corner, for he bought the property diagonal ly across the street from the Georgia Pacific building, where the Stowers Furniture company later was To- cated. Twenty-second street did not develop into the main stem of the fu- ture Birmingham, but I may say
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