MK&T Depot - Hillsboro, TX
Posted by: 
WalksfarTX
N 32° 00.761 W 097° 07.894
14S E 676473 N 3543366
The depot was moved and restored. Its present location is just off the historic courthouse square in downtown Hillsboro. Filled with railroad artifacts and railroad pictures, the depot is a beautiful example of restoration at its best.
Waymark Code: WMQRC7
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 03/23/2016
Views: 7
From Texas Railroad History WebsiteThe MKT, commonly called "the Katy", built through Hillsboro from Ft. Worth in 1881, continuing south to Taylor in 1882 as part of their long term plan to reach the Gulf.
Since the Katy also served Dallas, a decision was made to build a Dallas to Hillsboro line to provide a more direction connection between Dallas and points south. This was done under the newly chartered Dallas & Waco Railway which reached Hillsboro from Dallas in 1890 and was integrated into the Katy system in 1891.
The Katy established shops in Hillsboro and built Katy Lake to provide a permanent water supply for steam engines. The shops were closed in 1930 in favor of larger facilities in Waco, but Katy Lake remains intact near the junction of the two Katy lines north of town. The Katy tracks through Hillsboro eventually became owned by Union Pacific (UP), which abandoned the line to Dallas in the 1990s.
From Uncovered Texas Website
This depot was built to serve the Missouri-Kansas-Texas (Katy) Rail Line, which reached Hillsboro in 1881. Completed in 1902, the station features elements of the Eastlake, Victorian, and Prairie styles. Early MKT trains carried materials for the growing town and brought early residents and such notables as presidents Woodrow Wilson, William Taft, Calvin Coolidge, and Harry Truman. The building was moved here from the original site in 1978. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1980