Editing Prince Edward County, Virginia (section)

===Railroads===
In the 1850s, the [[Southside Railroad (Virginia)|Southside Railroad]] between [[Petersburg, Virginia|Petersburg]] and [[Lynchburg, Virginia|Lynchburg]] was built through Farmville between [[Burkeville, Virginia|Burkeville]] and [[Pamplin City, Virginia|Pamplin City]]. The route, which was subsidized by a contribution from Farmville, required an expensive crossing of the Appomattox River slightly downstream which became known as the [[High Bridge (Appomattox River)|High Bridge]].

The Southside Railroad was heavily damaged during the [[American Civil War]]. The [[High Bridge (Appomattox River)|High Bridge]] played a key role during Confederate General [[Robert E. Lee]]'s final retreat from Petersburg to [[Appomattox Court House National Historical Park|Appomattox Courthouse]], where the surrender to Union General [[Ulysses S. Grant]] took place in April 1865.

After the Civil War, under the leadership of former Confederate General [[William Mahone|William "Billy" Mahone]], the Southside Railroad was rebuilt. In 1870, it was combined with the [[Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad]] and the [[Virginia and Tennessee Railroad]] to form Mahone's [[Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio Railroad]] (AM&O), which extended 400 miles across the southern tier of Virginia from [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]] on [[Hampton Roads]] to [[Bristol, Virginia|Bristol]]. After the [[Financial Panic of 1873]], the AM&O fell into default on its debt; it was purchased in the early 1880s by new owners who renamed it the [[Norfolk and Western]] (N&W). In 1982, it became part of the current [[Norfolk Southern Railway]] system.

Due to the high cost of maintaining the High Bridge over the Appomattox River, the line through Farmville was downgraded and eventually abandoned, in favor of the [[Farmville Belt Line]], which had been built on a more direct line between Burkeville and Pamplin City, as had originally been envisioned in the planning for the Southside Railroad.

Another railroad formerly served Farmville. In the late 19th century, the [[narrow gauge railways|narrow gauge]] [[Farmville and Powhatan Railroad]] was built from Farmville through [[Cumberland County, Virginia|Cumberland]], [[Powhatan County, Virginia|Powhatan]], and [[Chesterfield County, Virginia|Chesterfield]] counties to reach [[Bermuda Hundred]] on the navigable portion of the [[James River (Virginia)|James River]] near its confluence with the [[Appomattox River]] at [[City Point, Virginia|City Point]]. It was later renamed the [[Tidewater and Western Railroad]], but was dismantled in the early 20th century.