Bernard Moore Temple
Galveston, Galveston County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(November 4, 1843 - October 5, 1901) Virginia-born B. M. Temple served in the Confederate army during the Civil War (1861-1865), then moved west to begin a noted career in civil engineering. As chief engineer for the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railroad, 1879-1884), he supervised much of the line's expansion in Texas, always demanding quality construction. Temple, Texas, founded by the railroad in 1881 and later a division point, was named for him. Temple married ida May Shipman (1861-1936). They had two children. Incise in base: Marker Sponsor: Weldon Green Cannon
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Virginia-born Bernard Moore Temple served in the Confederate army before heading west to build a career in civil engineering. As chief engineer for the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railroad in the early 1880s, he oversaw much of the line's expansion across Texas and insisted on quality construction, and the railroad town of Temple, Texas, was named in his honor in 1881. This marker commemorates the engineer whose work helped stitch the state together by rail.
Why it matters
Temple's career shows how Civil War veterans turned to railroad building in the postwar decades, laying the transportation network that transformed Texas's economy and its map.
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Related people
- · Bernard Moore Temple
- · Ida May Shipman
Themes & tags
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