What is a Harpswitch?

Well, quite simply, it's a three-way switching device used on railroads. It gets its name from the harp shape at its base (see the picture at left). The harp 'stand' lever could be fastened in any of three positions and could be easily seen by the train's engineer.

Harpswitch is also what is believed to be the name for a passenger stop that was located on a long-ago abandoned railway called the Chickamauga and Durham Railroad Line. Part of the old railway bed is located on my home's property. The use of this historic line was discontinued in the early 1950's and disassembled shortly thereafter. I've been told that when the Durham line was active there was a flag station along the line called Harp, located approximately 3.3 miles from Chickamauga, Georgia. There was a nine car siding at Harp and it was a flag stop when passenger service was offered on the line. In fact, one of the nearby county roads is named Harpswitch Road, most likely taking its name from the old flag stop. Whether the name 'harpswitch' evolved from the name of a piece of railroad hardware or from someone's name (i.e. Harp's Switch) is unclear. I've heard the story both ways.

Now I wouldn't necessarily classify myself as a train buff, but this old rail line does pique my curiosity and interest and I have begun to do a little research into its history.  Anyway, I needed a domain name for my website and it sounded like as good a name as any to me while at the same time honoring a little bit of the history of my home area.