Rails, Rivalries, and the Roots of Paragould with Jim Burgess
Update: 2025-10-10
Description
This week on The Paragould Podcast, we sit down with Jim Burgess — longtime resident, local historian, and former Emerson Electric engineer — to uncover the fascinating story of how our city began.
Two railroad rivals, J.W. Paramore and Jay Gould, set out to build competing lines to St. Louis. When their tracks crossed here in 1885, a new community was born — Paragould.
From missed opportunities in Gainesville to bustling hotels and twenty passenger trains a day, Jim paints a vivid picture of how competition and connection built the town we call home.
We also talk about when Emerson Electric was a busy place and how Jim made his way to Texas A&M on a basketball scholarship in the 1960s.
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