Impact of the Railroad

As German settlers were moving into Texas, the railroads in Texas were “moving” also. On December 16, 1836, the First Congress of the Republic of Texas “chartered the Texas Rail Road, Navigation and Banking Company to construct railroads,” says George Werner in The Handbook of Texas. The company – and the plan – collapsed without creation of a railroad; however, the issues of transporting goods and travel for people remained a great problem in Texas. At last, a twenty-mile segment form Harrisburg (now part of Houston) to Stafford’s Point (now Stafford) opened on September 7, 1853, the first railroad to operate in Texas. After this initial project, other railroads became active. Werner reports that by “the end of 1861 there were nine railroad companies with about 470 miles of track in Texas. Five of the companies were centered in the Houston area…” As part of this boom, in 1866, the Houston Great Northern Railroad Company was commissioned to build a railroad from Houston north to the Red River, a project which began in 1871. That railroad would be a vital lifeline for the fast-growing coastal areas of Texas. That same railroad was to run through farming areas north of Houston and was to hasten dramatically the organization and growth of the community of Spring.

Excerpt from Spring: Through the Seasons by Margaret Mallott Smith, which is available for purchase in the museum for $16.95.