Most of Barnesville’s dwellings were erected during 1880 -1900. After the 1884 fire, residential construction was as rapid as was commercial construction.

Local bricks were manufactured at the Parker place at the end of Elm Street, but the demand was too great. Hundreds of loads were brought in on rail from the Chattahoochee Brick Company of Atlanta.

During this period the streets downtown were maintained by a street crew. The sidewalks were made with diagonal boards and underlaid with charcoal for sanitary conditions. The area around the depot was made into a park to beautify the arrival area of the train.

The GSWR runs on part of the former Columbus Southern Railway line that was originally constructed between 1886 and 1890 between Columbus, GA and Albany, GA; the first train operated into Dawson in 1890. The line was originally constructed and owned by the Chattahoochee Brick Co.; for a short period between 1890 and 1891 it was leased to the Georgia, Midland & Gulf Railroad, however it returned to the Columbus Southern until in 1896 this line was sold to the Georgia & Alabama Railway, the same year that the G&A Railway came under control of John Skelton Williams and associates of the Seaboard Air Line Railway group. This line gave Seaboard access to Albany, GA by connecting with the Savannah-Montgomery main track at Richland, GA. Today, the GSWR operates the remaining portion of the line between Columbus, GA and Cusseta, GA; and between Dawson, GA (the line ends to the north approximately 3 miles from the at-grade rail crossing frog) and Sasser, GA. The GSWR has pending before the Surface Transportation Board an application to revoke the Rails to Trails authority on the Sasser to Albany portion, and plans to restore rail service on the line segment.