Then and Now: Interurban Railway in Waxahachie, Texas (1916)

Then and Now: Waxahachie, Texas

In this 1916 photograph, a crowd makes way for an Interurban Railcar to pass through College Street next to the Ellis County Courthouse in downtown Waxahachie, Texas.

Prior to modern public transportation systems like DART, various electric railways connected North Texas to Houston and Galveston, with Dallas as the main station and smaller towns like Waxahachie and Waco serving as stopping points along the route. The Texas Electric Railway served as the main route in a north-to-south direction along a route that closely resembles I-35 today.

The remnants of these vintage public railways can still be seen in various places. Bridge foundations and trellises remain in their original locations, and rail tracks can often be seen protruding from beneath the roadways in areas where asphalt has weathered away.

In Summer 2022, construction along College Street in Waxahachie unearthed the original Interurban Railway buried beneath the road. Sections of this rail were preserved and put on display at Railyard Park in Waxahachie (455 S College St, Waxahachie, TX 75165).

Song: King, Edward T, et al. Pack up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag and Smile, Smile, Smile!. 1916. Audio. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/jukebox-21044/>.

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