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.
"STEPHENVILLE
NORTH AND SOUTH TEXAS RAILWAY." The Handbook of Texas Online