Still on the Right Track
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Members of the four families who got together to buy the La Grange railroad depot 25 years ago to save it, and keep it in its current location, unveiled the new historic marker there Tuesday at the conclusion of a ceremony (below). Left to right – Arnold Romberg, Gale and Gary Lincke, Drs. Royce and Elva Keilers and W.O. Wood. Photos by Jeff Wick -
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La Grange has the oldest railroad depot in Texas still in its original location.
But that didn’t happen by accident.
25 years to the day after they bought the deed to save it from being demolished or moved, the four founding families of the Friends of the La Grange Railroad Depot pulled back a sheet Tuesday to unveil the new historic marker in front of the 127-year-old downtown depot/museum.
“Back in 1999 we were scared ... we knew if we didn’t step up, we would lose it,” said Gale Lincke, who along with her husband Gary, Arnold and Suzy Romberg, W.O. and Carlene Wood and Drs. Royce and Elva Keilers made the bold financial move to save the depot a quarter century ago.
In the 25 years since, the depot, now owned by the city and still run by The Friends of the Depot, has been lovingly restored and turned into a jewel of a museum and a fitting tribute to the history of local railroad history.
That history was celebrated by a well-attended ceremony Tuesday culminated by the unveiling of that historical marker, which details the history of the depot, which was built in 1897 and operated until 1983.
A lineup of speakers ad- dressed the crowd in front of the depot, beginning with Bobbie Nash, Chair of the Fayette County Historical Commission.
“These markers say history matters to all of us, and we hope it matters to you too,” Nash said.
She was followed by State Representative Stan Kitzman who talked about growing up near the Brookshire railroad tracks, “imagine the excitement when the first locomotive rolled into La Grange and opened up La Grange to the world.”
Judge Dan Mueller followed, applauding this area’s respect for history, saying “A society that forgets its past has no future.”
Gale Lincke recognized honored guests, including William Cook, who was the last surviving MKT agent that worked in the depot before it closed.
Lincke had to pause her remarks as a cement and aggregate train rolled by, much to the delight of the crowd.
La Grange mayor Jan Dockery then followed talking about the soldiers whose last glimpse of La Grange was from this depot, and the happy reunions the depot witnessed over the years and the people who stepped off a train to make a new life here.
Larry Jackson, an active Friends of the Depot member who has written a book “Here Comes the Katy: The Railways of La Grange” then detailed to the crowd how prior to 1880 Fayette County was the fourth largest county in the state but La Grange still didn’t have a railroad depot. He then read an excerpt from an old La Grange Journal newspaper article describing the excitement on New Year’s Eve 1880 when La Grange finally became a railroad town to connect its products and people with the rest of the world.
Bill Karisch gave the Benediction and then there was plenty of time for the attendees to enjoy kolaches, coffee, explore the depot exhibits, and marvel at the new historical marker.
The depot, at 260 N. Washington Street, is open for visitors 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday and Fridays and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. There is no admission charge.