In 1854, the agrarian area known as Pulaski was bisected by the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad, which brought with it access to new markets, reduced isolation created by the New River, and heavy industry. The 1870s saw the restoration of an economy decimated by war and the incorporation of Dublin and Newbern. The Pulaski Agricultural and Mechanical Association, incorporated in 1872 to promote "enterprise, industry, and thrift among the citizens,"...