The railroad helped give birth to Rutledge in 1845 when it pushed through the community from Augusta to Marthasville (now Atlanta). The rails being laid ran directly through the land of Hezekiah Rutledge. The trainmen began calling the area “Rutledge’s Place”, later just Rutledge. The city became a stopover for many train travelers on the Atlanta- Augusta route. Drummers (traveling salesmen) would stay overnight in the local hotel or boarding house. Taverns and shops quickly took advantage of the potential prosperity.