‘The Golden Era of Railroading in Texas’ Presentation at Library

Are you a train enthusiast or just interested in local history? Author and railroad historian Ken E. Stavinoha will speak on “The Golden Era of Railroading in Texas” on Thursday evening, May 22, in the meeting room of the Fayette Public Library.

The Fayette Heritage Museum and Archives is sponsoring Stavinoha’s program, which will include Fayette County’s early railroad history. An avid researcher, Stavinoha will also speak more generally about railroading in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, covering some of the operational developments, as well as political and government regulatory changes. Items from his collection of railroad memorabilia have been exhibited in museums across south and central Texas, and he will bring along a few of those artifacts.

Stavinoha is a popular speaker. Among his many engagements to business and historical groups, he has been a regular presenter at the Railroad Conference at the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library.

Stavinoha, a preservation advocate, is a founding member and manager of the Eagle Lake Depot Museum, a 2018 recipient of the Preservation Texas Award. He is also a founding member of the Rosenberg Railroad Museum and helped to save Railroad Interlocking Tower 17 in Rosenberg from deterioration and possible destruction. Stavinoha is also a member of the Colorado County Historical Commission and has served as its chairman.

He is also a writer. Their Rails Crossed at Wallis was authored by Stavinoha and published in 2023. The book is his study of the GC&SF and SA&AP Railroads in Southeast Texas from 1879 to 1929.

The program will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the library at 855 S. Jefferson Street in La Grange. Please use the meeting room entrance on Franklin Street, toward the rear of the building.