STEPHENVILLE NORTH & SOUTH TEXAS RAILWAY COMPANY

SN & ST RAILCAR

SN & ST Depot

The first railway to arrive in the town of Hamilton was the Stephenville North and South Texas Railway Company which  had been  organized and chartered on 4 February, 1907. The first train from Stephenville arrived in Hamilton on Christmas Day, 1907. This railroad connected Hamilton and Carlton with Stephenville so that Hamilton was no longer dependent on transfer of goods via wagons from Hico and Gatesville. This connected Hamilton to all of the major markets in the United States. 

The charter of Stephenville North and South Texas Railway was amended in 1910 so that the railroad could be extended from Comanche to Gatesville. Before this extension could be built, the Cotton Belt Railroad arranged to build a line from Gatesville to Comanche.

The arrival of the railroad in Carlton in 1907  increased both business and commercial growth. The Carlton State Bank and the Merchants National Bank were organized in Carlton in 1908. Business included:  Carlton State Bank, Farmers and Merchants State Bank, Carlton Brothers Department Store, Curbo Mercantile, Fisher Grocery, McKenzie Drug Store, Tull Drug Store, Barnes Lumber Company, Tin Shop, and two gins.

The Stephenville North and South Texas Railroad inspired John L. Spurlin to create a new town--Spurlin, located along the railroad tracks  13 miles north of Hamilton, 7 miles south of Carlton and 4 miles from the Leon River. An auction for the sale of lots in the new town of Spurlin was held 21 November, 1908, in front of the Spurlin Depot. Special trains from Stephenville and Hamilton brought people to the auction. Excursion fare to attend the auction was twenty-five cents from Carlton , forty cents from Hamilton, fifty cents from Alexander, and ninety cents from Stephenville. 

C. H. King, P. M. Massingill, Minnie Pietzsch, William Joseph "Joe" Stribling, W. W. Parker, W. C. Schrank, Walter Richardson, A. Boatwright, A. A. Henry, August Weid, Mrs. A. B. Barnett, J. B. Womble, H. R. Brummett, and many more bought property and paid from $1.00 to $40.00 for the lots.