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Greenline
Basics |
History Your V&E Greenline was ten years old on November 11, 2006. The L&N Railroad was a working railroad running through the Vollintine-Evergreen Community from before the Civil War to 1980. The route previously extended from downtown Memphis to Raleigh and beyond to Nashville and Louisville. In its later years, the L&N route solely served the huge Sears Distribution Center at Cleveland Street, also called Crosstown.The CSX Railroad abandoned the L&N Railroad right-of-way in 1980. The route included 1.7 miles in Vollintine-Evergreen. The City of Memphis chose not to purchase the land and the State of TN did not rail bank land, so the area was left vacant and not maintained. Dumping, litter, and high weeds become commonplace, and it turned into an attractive haven for crime. Adjacent residents were afraid to walk the area because of its "no-man's land appearance". The Vollintine-Evergreen community received grant funds from the Pew Charitable Trusts in 1995 to undertake widespread community revitalization. The Vollintine-Evergreen Community Development Corporation (VECA CDC) used some of these funds to purchase the abandoned right-of-way on November 11, 1996 and renamed it the V&E Greenline. In 1997, the V&E Greenline became a program of VECA CDC and as such is entitled to the benefits of a not-for-profit, tax-exempt IRS 501(c)(3) organization. By 1998, no additional Pew grant funds were available. Since then, the V&E Greenline has funded maintenance expenses solely with tax-deductible contributions from neighbors and trail users. Residents began maintaining the area on a small scale and extended that operation so that volunteers now maintain the entire 1.7 miles of the V&E Greenline. Several small grants and major assistance from business partners Keeler Ironworks helped complete the two bridge building project, but grants have not been available for maintenance expenses, such as equipment purchase, fuel for the equipment and postage for contacting volunteers. Displays of the history of the Greenline are available at the stationhouse. |
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