Jay Gould Railroad Car
Jefferson, Marion County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Built in 1888 by the American Car & Foundry Company of St. Charles, Missouri, this was the private railway car of Jay Gould (1836-1892). A native of New York, Gould was a noted financier and the owner of numerous railroad companies, including the Union Pacific, The Missouri Pacific, the International & Great Northern, and The Texas Pacific. This car, named "Atlanta," remained in Gould family ownership until the 1930s. Elaborately designed and elegantly furnished, the Atlanta features two observation rooms, four staterooms, two baths, a butler's pantry, kitchen, dining room, and office. Interior materials include mahogany and curly maple woodwork, silver bathroom accessories, and crystal light fixtures. Following Jay Gould's death in 1892, the car was used by his son, George Jay Gould (president of the Texas and Pacific Railroad), and his wife, actress Edith Kingston. The car later was brought to Texas from St. Louis and used as a family residence during the 1930s East Texas oil boom. Purchased in 1953 by the Jessie Allen Wise Garden Club, it was moved to this site in 1954. It remains a focal point in Jefferson's heritage tourism industry.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Built in 1888, the private railway car "Atlanta" carried the Gilded Age financier Jay Gould, whose empire included the Union Pacific, Missouri Pacific, and Texas and Pacific railroads. Fitted with observation rooms, staterooms, baths, a kitchen, and dining room in mahogany and curly maple, it was a rolling mansion. Passed down through the Gould family, it later served as a residence during the 1930s East Texas oil boom before being preserved at Jefferson in 1954.
Why it matters
The opulent car makes tangible the immense wealth and power of the railroad barons who dominated the American economy in the late nineteenth century.
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Related people
- · Jay Gould
- · George Jay Gould
- · Edith Kingston
Themes & tags
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