Kingsport 1844: The New Railroad Station

34) The New Railroad Station
West Summit Street Est. 1844

Keeper’s Note: The New Railroad Station is a location in “Kingsport 1844,” and was written for the White Leviathan campaign. However, it may be adapted for any nineteenth-century Call of Cthulhu scenario set in Essex County. I guess it contains a spoiler? For those players deluded enough to think they’re coming back?

A) Eastern Railroad
Chartered in 1836, the Eastern Railroad Company of Massachusetts was established to connect Boston to Portland. Running along the interior of the East Coast, it links several North Shore towns through various local spurs. One of these local stations recently received some notoriety among the abolitionist movement. In 1841, Frederick Douglass boarded the train at Lynn Station, bound for Newburyport. As was his custom, Douglass refused to sit in the colored car, and was forcibly dragged from the train. In response to the near riot, Stephen A. Chase, the superintendent of the railroad, refused service to Lynn until it was vacated by Douglass! The outrage attracted the attention of abolitionists and sympathetic politicians, who eventually pressured the Eastern Railroad into abandoning the practice of “Jim Crow” cars. The incident was related to Kingsporters later that year during Frederick Douglass’ speech at Pickering Hall.

B) Local Ambitions
Originally the Eastern Railroad was going to connect Kingsport in 1838, but an unfortunate series of intrigues among Kingsport’s wealthiest families caused a significant delay. The situation was thankfully resolved this summer, and track is finally being laid from Arkham to Kingsport. Officially named Kingsport Station, the “new railroad station” is currently under construction at the western edge of town. There’s little to see except workers building the station, widening the roads, and clearing trees for the development of warehouses. The spur will be completed in early December, and is eagerly anticipated by all of Kingsport’s traders and industrialists.

Kingsport Note: Historically, the Eastern Railroad established its spur to Marblehead in 1838. In order to make Kingsport feel more isolated, White Leviathan has delayed this date by six years. As compensation for this technological slight, Kingsport has been rewarded gas lighting a full decade earlier than Marblehead, which had to wait until 1854. This delay provides the opportunity for arriving player characters to reflect on the accelerating pace of modernity—wooden ships and horses are delivering them to Kingsport, but they’ll be departing three years hence on iron and steam. (Like they’re ever coming back!)

White Leviathan > Chapter 1—Kingsport 1844
[Back to Encounter 34, Byram Theological Seminary | White Leviathan TOC | Forward to “The Outskirts”]

Author: A. Buell Ruch
Last Modified: 26 November 2021
Email: quail (at) shipwrecklibrary (dot) com
White Leviathan PDF: [TBD]

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