Atlanta Zero Mile Post

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}

{{Infobox NRHP

| name = Western and Atlantic Railroad Zero Milepost

| nrhp_type =

| image = Atlanta zero mile post.jpg

| caption = Atlanta Zero Mile Post

| location= Central Ave. between Wall St. and Railroad Ave., Atlanta, Georgia

| locmapin = USA Georgia

| built = {{Start date|1842}}

| added = September 19, 1977

| delisted = April 26, 2019

| area = less than one acre

| refnum = 77000435{{NRISref|version=2013a}}

}}

The Atlanta Zero Mile Post is a stone marker which marked the terminus of the Western and Atlantic Railroad in Atlanta, US. It was located in a disused building in Downtown Atlanta, within the Underground Atlanta Historic District, under the Central Ave. viaduct, between Alabama and Wall streets.[https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/atlanta/wes.htm "Western & Atlanta Railroad Zero Milepost", Atlanta: a National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary, National Park Service][http://www.ajc.com/news/news/actual-factual-georgia-zero-mile-post-marks-citys-/nrfDs/ "ACTUAL FACTUAL GEORGIA: Zero Mile Post marks city's start", June 13, 2016], The Atlanta Journal-Constitution The Zero Mile Post was recognized with a historical marker by the Georgia Historical Commission in 1958{{cite web|title=Zero Mile Post|url=https://georgiahistory.com/ghmi_marker_updated/zero-mile-post/|website=Georgia Historical Society|date=18 November 2015 |accessdate=24 April 2018}} and entered into the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.{{cite web|title=Western and Atlantic Railroad Zero Milepost|url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/nrhp/AssetDetail?assetID=a7be3c66-04ed-4049-85a2-da23e5c4bb6a|website=National Register Digital Assets|publisher=National Park Service|accessdate=24 April 2018}} It was delisted in 2019.

In the 1980s, the Zero Mile Post was moved indoors when a passenger depot was built around it for the New Georgia Railroad tourist operation. After the railroad ceased operations in 1994, the depot was secured behind a locked fence, with access only available by appointment through the Georgia Building Authority.

File:Atlanta Zero Mile Post in Atlanta History Center.jpg (December 8, 2018)]]

In October 2018, the Zero Mile Post was moved from the Georgia Building Authority's depot building to the Atlanta History Center, and the building was demolished to accommodate the reconstruction of the Central Avenue and Courtland Street bridges above. A replica post was placed at the exact location of the original, and paired with an interpretive marker provided by The Georgia Historical Society after the bridge work concluded.

The Zero Mile Post's relocation generated controversy, with some arguing that it lost much of its significance by being removed from its original location,{{Cite web |title=Atlanta's zero milepost belongs at Atlanta's zero mile mark |last=Saporta |first=Maria |work=SaportaReport |date=5 November 2018 |url= https://saportareport.com/atlantas-zero-milepost-belongs-at-atlantas-zero-mile-mark/}} while those at the history center say that it is well preserved, and that the replica is better suited for outdoor exhibition.{{Cite magazine|url=http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2018/04/27-atlantas-zero-milepost-could-move|url-access=subscription|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181018181841/http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2018/04/27-atlantas-zero-milepost-could-move|archive-date=18 October 2018|title=Atlanta's Zero Milepost Could Move|magazine=Trains Magazine|date=27 April 2018}} The Zero Mile Post is currently displayed and interpreted in an exhibition, [http://23.253.100.139/explore/exhibitions/texas-locomotive Locomotion: Railroads and the Making of Atlanta], with the recently restored Texas locomotive, one of the two remaining Western & Atlantic locomotives that would have passed by the mile post many times during its service.

Usually placed along rail lines at each mile, markers informed train crews where they were along a specific route. The above-ground portion of the rectangular marker is approximately 1 foot wide on each side and 42 inches tall. The crown is pyramidal, and one side of the marker is engraved with "W&A RR OO" – the W&A indicating the Western & Atlantic Railroad and the double-zero designating the beginning of the rail line. The other side of the marker is engraved “W&A RR 138”. When entirely exposed, the marker is 7 feet 5 inches tall and weighs approximately 800 pounds.