Photograph of the Galveston, Harrisburg, and San Antonio Railroad Beeville depot. The marker for the railroad in Bee County is on the site of the old depot. On June 14, 1886, the first San Antonio and Aransas Pass train arrived in Beeville to a cheering crowd. The arrival of the railroad to Bee County came after Uriah Lott, the man responsible for building the S.A.&A.P. railroad, made a formal railroad proposition to Frank O. Skidmore, a wealthy stockman on the Aransas River, asking for a $100,000 bonus to bring the railroad to Bee County. Mr. Lott appealed to stockmen interested in hauling their cattle to market. The committee in charge of raising the bonus was made up of A.C. Jones and John W. Flournoy. In January 1886 Sheriff D.A. T. Walton showed Mr. Lott around Bee County by buggy, and the committee informed him that they had already raised $55,000. Uriah Lott then headed his railroad through Bee County. After the takeover of S.A.&A.P by Southern Pacific in 1925, the depot became an S.P. station. In 1958, the depot was razed, and the last train left Bee County in 1994. Before the railroad all freighting was done by wagon, and …

Photograph of the League City Railroad. Station (located at 517 West) in Dickinson, Texas.

Photograph of the Alta Loma Railroad Depot (located at Railroad Avenue) in Santa Fe, Texas.

Photograph of the Alta Loma Railroad Depot (located at Railroad Avenue) in Santa Fe, Texas.

Photograph of the Railroad Station / Commercial Complex (located at 1st Avenue North at 3rd Street) in Texas City, Texas.

Photograph of the Dickinson Railroad Station/Museum (located at 517 West) in Dickinson, Texas.

Photograph of the Dickinson Railroad Station/Museum (located at 517 West) in Dickinson, Texas.

Photograph of the interior of the League City Railroad Shop, where several of the working men are gathered to pose for a picture. A narrative on the back, written by someone named Caroline in 1971, identifies a few men in the photograph: O.V. King, K.H. Scholes (who was the superintendent or foreman), Perry Johnson, and Percy H. Yoeland.

Photograph of the historic League City Railroad Shop, a warehouse building with a wide entrance. The shop workers are gathered together in front of the warehouse. According to a handwritten note on the back, the man at the center wearing the vest is O.V. King and to his right is R.H. Scholes, the superintendent or foreman.

Photograph of a one story frame with pitch roof, deep eaves with stick style brackets. The framing is slightly peaked over all openings and windows are 9/9. This station is one of the most intact railroad stations in the county. This was the line to Galveston to carry sugar and cotton, later produce. Mr. Thompson was a man who lived in the community for a short period and negotiated with the railroad company to run the line through the community. The company identified the station as Thompsons' switch and the name stuck.

On the far left, railroad freight cars are standing on a set of railroad tracks. Part of the side of the second railroad car has been damaged, and is detached at the top. To the right are huge heaps of debris piled near the trains covering the foreground. A large section of metal framework, probably from a warehouse roof or the covered conveyor system, is twisted and bent, and rests on top of the debris.

Photograph of a one story frame with pitch roof, deep eaves with stick style brackets. The framing is slightly peaked over all openings and windows are 9/9. This station is one of the most intact railroad stations in the county. This was the line to Galveston to carry sugar and cotton, later produce. Mr. Thompson was a man who lived in the community for a short period and negotiated with the railroad company to run the line through the community. The company identified the station as Thompsons' switch and the name stuck.

Photograph of a one story frame with pitch roof, deep eaves with stick style brackets. The framing is slightly peaked over all openings and windows are 9/9. This station is one of the most intact railroad stations in the county. This was the line to Galveston to carry sugar and cotton, later produce. Mr. Thompson was a man who lived in the community for a short period and negotiated with the railroad company to run the line through the community. The company identified the station as Thompsons' switch and the name stuck.

Three sets of railroad lines cross the picture. Large pieces of metal debris lie on and along the tracks. In some places the railroad tracks have been broken. In the distance is the outline of some refinery structures and the Seatrain loading crane. A large cloud of smoke blowing right to left is visible in the background. The number "#13" is written in the lower right hand corner.

Railroad flat cars being loaded with coal. Several men are seen along with the machinery loading the cars. At the bottom of the picture reads: 'Pauls Valley to Galveston'.

A group of about 15 men are working to clear and repair railroad tracks. Two parallel sets of tracks are visible. On the left, a flatbed rail vehicle holds railroad ties. Ahead of it on the tracks is a freight car holding several large rectangular forms. Small groups of men work along the other set of tracks, picking up debris, and replacing railroad ties. Some metal and wooden debris is visible along the tracks. Ahead of the workers on the tracks sits a badly damaged locomotive. To the right of the tracks are stacks of rectangular wooden structures stacked in piles. Some piles have been toppled. A large metal hook, suspended from a wheel and pulley, is visible on the far right. The number "#41" is written in the lower right corner.

On the far left, a line of freight cars stands on a set of tracks. Power poles line the railroad tracks, but power lines have been broken and are hanging down. A man stands on top of one of the railroad cars looking toward the port. To the left of the railroad tracks, can be seen a small portion of a damaged two-story building. Large pieces of metal and metal framework from a covered conveyor system are scattered over much of the area.

At least five sets of railroad tracks run across the photograph. Debris lies scattered around the ground. What looks like two shovels from a crane lie face down on the ground along a track. In the background are a damaged round storage tank, a damaged building near the smokestack, two water towers, and a long pile of debris heaped in front of a train of freight cars. Lines sag in places from wooden utility or power poles. Heavy smoke hangs over the scene. The number "#33" is written in the lower right hand corner.

A long, large pile of pipe, metal and wooden debris covers much of a set of railroad tracks. On a parallel track to the right is a set of freight cars partially blocked from sight by the pile of debris. Two water towers stand in the background. In the foreground lies another heap of metal and wood debris. Heavy black clouds of smoke hang over the scene. Wooden utility or power poles with damaged lines can be seen along both the right and left sides of the photograph.

Two damaged open-top freight cars (gondolas) loaded with rectangular wooden forms sit on a elevated wooden train track. The tracks appear to be on a wharf structure extending out to a dock. Wooden debris is densely scattered in the foreground in front of the tracks and is evidently floating in water in a channel. The front end of the track structure has collapsed and the front car is tilted downward. The forms in the freight cars have also been damaged. Two men are looking down from the raised part of the track.

Two damaged freight train boxcars sit on a railroad track on the right. In front of the train cars are the remains of a truck and scattered metal debris of various kinds. The top portion of a smoke stack can be seen behind the train cars. A grain elevator stands on the left and beyond the train. Most of the glass in the windows of the grain elevator have been blown out. There is a vertical cylindrical tank in front of the grain elevator. To the left of the tank sit three boxcars side-by-side in bays under a metal roofed structure supported by pillars. On the left there is visible the top of a of a damaged wall extending out from the elevator. The number "#11" is in the lower right hand corner of the print.

A elevated shot from the rail yards toward the port. View is from above a line of freight cars in the rail yard. Debris lies piled along the line of cars to the far right of the picture. Several men stand on top of one of the cars, while several more stand amid the metal debris below. Another line of rail cars loaded with uniform loads of large forms stands on a parallel set of tracks. In the distance is the grain elevator, a smokestack, two large water towers and the loading structures at the port. Heavy smoke clouds blowing left to right can be seen coming from the port area. The number "#3" is written in the lower right hand corner.

A line of damaged freight cars stands amid metal and wooden debris. The top of a crane is seen beyond the train cars behind a large pile of debris. In the far background is a storage tank farm, with visible compression damage on a number of the tanks. On the horizon, in the direction of the port, are heavy clouds of white and black smoke. In the foreground three military personnel stand looking at the damage. On the reverse side of the photograph is written: "From John P. Blazetic with 32nd Medical Battalion."

Railroad freight cars loaded with wooden structures sit on raised railroad tracks leading to the docks. Part of the support structure for the tracks have collapsed underneath the loaded cars. The dock & pier structures closer to the water have been very heavily damaged.