Hunt County's FIRST Railroad - Greenville, TX
N 33° 08.400 W 096° 06.738
14S E 769375 N 3670521
A 1972 Texas Historical Marker, "Hunt County's First Railroad," stands in front of the 1896 Katy Depot, 3102 Lee St, Greenville, TX, noting that the first train in the county arrived here in Greenville in 1880.
Waymark Code: WMYW9W
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 08/01/2018
Views: 2
The marker stands in front of the depot, but it really only provides a sound-byte, noting that Greenville got a little busier after the railroad arrived:
Missouri, Kansas & Texas (Katy) Railway, whose first train from Denison reached here Oct. 1, 1880. A $5,000 cash bonus and right of way across Hunt County were guaranteed by Greenville men: F.P. Alexander, M.M. Arnold, A. Cameron, J.J. Cooper, J.C. Edmonds, Fred Ende, I.N. Harrison, J.W. Hawkins, J.T. Jenkins, W.C. Jones, J.C. O'Neal, W.G. Perkins, N.I. Ross, Edward Schiff, Sam D. Stinson, Daniel Upthegrove, A.B. Watson, and M.H. Wright.
The Katy, which immediately built on to Mineola, stimulated a boom in Greenville and Hunt County population and economy.
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The National Register's Continuation Sheet (See Website) is a fairly comprehensive document, and it describes how, much like many towns in Texas, Greenville was a quiet little place without much in the way of commerce without the railroad. In early 1880, the MKT (Katy) contacted the group of businessmen referenced above, expressing an interest in getting their help in bringing their line through Greenville. They jumped at the opportunity, and as described above, incentives were put into place and the first depot (not this one) was built.
On October 1, 1880, the first train arrived here. So unfamiliar with the sight was a young boy, A.W. DeFee, that he ran in terror from the fire-breathing locomotive, and had to be coaxed out of the woods by his brother.
While the depot stands near the edge of the business district, when it opened, there was a hotel and other businesses here, and it's only a walk of several blocks from the downtown square. It wasn't long before Greenville became a rail town, and like so much of the American South, cotton production became Greenville's #1 industry with the help of the railroad.
As for young DeFee, he came here with his wife in 1896 to take a trip to Tyler. Unlike his initial experience, he enjoyed the ride thoroughly. Interestingly, he was "Old Man DeFee" when the last train pulled out of the station in 1965, and he was on hand to witness that final departure. He lived until 1976, to the ripe old age of 102.
FIRST - Classification Variable: Item or Event
Date of FIRST: 10/01/1880
More Information - Web URL: [Web Link]
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