Ballinger -- Ballinger TX
N 31° 44.368 W 099° 56.912
14R E 410152 N 3511949
Ballinger owes its existence to the railroad, but fortunatey the decline of the railroad did not do irreparable economic harm to this quaint west Texas town.
Waymark Code: WMV1DP
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 02/07/2017
Views: 3
The waymark coordinates are for the impressive stone and brick Santa Fe depot in the center of town, which was still in heavy use by the railroad in the 1930s.
In the 1980s, after railroad passenger service ended and much of Ballinger's agricultural products (wool and mohair)had transitioned successfully to being shipped by trucks, the vacant and decaying depot was renovated into Ballinger's City Hall, a function it still serves in 2016.
From Texas: A Guide to the Lone Star State:
"BALLINGER, 223 m. (1,630 alt., 4,187 pop.), has many buff-colored brick and red sandstone buildings, the latter harmonizing with the reddish muddy waters of the Colorado River, at its doors. In 1886 the incoming railroad gave away town lots here as an inducement to prospective citizens. A large annual singing festival is held in Ballinger on the fourth Sunday in April. The first Monday of each month is trades day, when public auctions of local merchandise are held at Fair Park. Cemetery beautifications, quilting bees, and community "sings" are still popular.
In Ballinger are junctions with US 83 (see Tour 16) and US 67 (see Tour 18), which latter route is concurrent with US 277 for 36 miles."
Book: Texas
Page Number(s) of Excerpt: 472
Year Originally Published: 1940
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