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 Jay Gould Railroad Car Posted by:  JimmyEv
N 32° 45.349 W 094° 20.721
15S E 373973 N 3625017
This luxurious railway car belonged to Jay Gould, a railroad magnate. Why locals brought it here, as if to always remember the reason for their town's loss of importance, is a mystery.
Waymark Code: WM141B
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 01/07/2007
Views: 45
At one time the only city in Texas larger than Jefferson was Galveston. Jefferson was the furthest steamboats could journey into Texas, the head of navigation for the Red River Valley. In the late 1800s, secure in its position as a port, Jefferson refused to provide railroad tycoon Jay Gould with free right-of-way to the port. Mr. Gould reportedly predicted the end of Jefferson.
The 'end' of Jefferson didn't come until a few years later, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers removed a 90-mile logjam on the Red River to 'improve the flow of water in the Red River and benefit navigation.' The removal of the logjam drained the upper Red River Valley, making navigation above Shreveport impossible and ending Jefferson's role as an inland port. Partially due to its spurning of the railroad and partially due to the Army Corps of Engineers, Jefferson withered away, from a city of about 50,000 to less than 3,000.
Jay Gould's personal railroad car was purchased and moved here by the local Garden Club in 1954. One can only wonder why they brought it here.
Marker Number: 8043 & 15393
Marker Text:
Built in 1888 by the American Car & Foundry Company of St. Charles, Missouri, this was the private railway car of Jay Gould (1836-1892). A native of New York, Gould was a noted financier and the owner of numerous railroad companies, including the Union Pacific, The Missouri Pacific, the International & Great Northern, and The Texas Pacific. This car, named "Atlanta," remained in Gould family ownership until the 1930s. Elaborately designed and elegantly furnished, the Atlanta features two observation rooms, four staterooms, two baths, a butler's pantry, kitchen, dining room, and office. Interior materials include mahogany and curly maple woodwork, silver bathroom accessories, and crystal light fixtures. Following Jay Gould's death in 1892, the car was used by his son, George Jay Gould (president of the Texas and Pacific Railroad), and his wife, actress Edith Kingston. The car later was brought to Texas from St. Louis and used as a family residence during the 1930s East Texas oil boom. Purchased in 1953 by the Jessie Allen Wise Garden Club, it was moved to this site in 1954. It remains a focal point in Jefferson's heritage tourism industry.
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