Gulf, Colorado, & Santa Fe Depot -- Lampasas TX
N 31° 03.928 W 098° 10.662
14R E 578449 N 3437147
The beautiful 1904 Mission-style Gulf, Colorado, & Santa Fe (GC&SF) railroad passenger depot (a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe (AT&SF) Railroad) in downtown Lampasas.
Waymark Code: WMH30D
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 05/13/2013
Views: 10
This classic ATSF Mission-style passenger depot for its wholly-owned Texas subsidiary the Gulf, Colorado, & Santa Fe RR was built of red brick in 1904. The wooden freight depot is attached to the passenger depot, and can be identified by its large square doors. A doorway inside would connect these two depots.
This was the era of public segregation, in the south especially, so there were separate waiting areas for whites and non-whites at the depot.
NGS benchmark CA0086 J 83 reminds us of these thankfully bygone days, with its datasheet description of the location of the benchmark as:
(
visit link)
CA0086 STATION DESCRIPTION
CA0086
CA0086''DESCRIBED BY NATIONAL GEODETIC SURVEY 1932
CA0086''IN LAMPASAS.
CA0086''ON THE G.C. AND SANTA FE R.R., DEPOT AT LAMPASAS, HALFWAY BETWEEN
CA0086''WINDOW AND DOOR, 3 1/2 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND NORTH OF THE WHITE
CA0086''WAITING ROOM ENTRANCE ON EAST SIDE OF THE STATION.
CA0086
The State of Texas approved historic markers for this depot in 1966 and another one in 1968. The markers reas as follows:
First plaque:
"Santa Fe Depot, 1904.
Early-day center for news and social life. Replaced mule car from old depot to city square. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1966"
Second plaque reads:
"Santa Fe Syndicate (builder of this depot) operated the mule-drawn streetcar -- 1880's to turn of century. The syndicate was bringing guests to Park Hotel, near mineral springs in Hancock Park. Syndicate ads all over the U.S. Promoted Lampasas as "Saratoga of the South". (1968)