William W. Wadley Statue

This work was done by Robert Cushing in 1885. William Wadley was President of the Central Georgia Railroad. He started working as a blacksmith, then moved to Savannah and worked for six years on Ft. Pulaski. In 1844 he built a bridge across the Oconee River for the Central Georgia Railroad. From there, he was promoted to road master for the company and then General Superintendent from 1849-51. The New Orleans, Jackson and Great Northern Rail Road offered him a Superintendent position in 1858 and he moved his family to Louisiana and afterwards he went on to work the Vicksburg and Shreveport Rail Road and became president of that company. During the Civil War he was a Colonel in the Adjutant General department of the Confederate Army and managed railroad transportation for the south.

Fun Fact: Wadley bought a 1360 acre plantation in Monroe County near Crawford Station. The plantation was originally called Cotton Place, but after Wadley and his family moved in the name of the railroad station was changed to Bolingbrooke.

1993 Condition: May need cleaning