H. & T. C. Railroad
Waco, McLennan County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Waco & Northwestern Railroad (a subsidary of Houston & Texas Central) was built under charter given Waco group in 1866. When tracks reached Waco, Sept. 18, 1872, W. & N.W. president John T. Flint was master of ceremonies as the area's first merchant of the 1840's, George Barnard, drove a gold spike into the last rail. Then came the first train. The railroad moved cotton and other goods out and in, enabling Waco to serve great volumes of traffic drawn from area by the Brazos River suspension bridge, built 1868-1870, also by Flint and other civic-minded men.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Chartered to a Waco group in 1866, the Waco & Northwestern Railroad, a subsidiary of the Houston & Texas Central, reached the city on September 18, 1872, when pioneer merchant George Barnard drove a gold spike into the last rail. The line carried cotton and goods in and out, and combined with the Brazos River suspension bridge of 1868–1870, it drew great volumes of regional traffic through Waco.
Why it matters
The arrival of the railroad transformed Waco from a river-crossing town into a commercial hub, marking the rail revolution that reshaped the Texas economy after the Civil War.
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Related people
- · George Barnard
- · John T. Flint
Themes & tags
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