Port Bolivar & Iron Ore Railroad
Ore City, Upshur County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Though an Antebellum community associated with the Murray League School once existed here, it declined following the Civil War. It wasn’t until around 1911, when construction was completed on a railroad, that ore city was platted and residents repopulated the area. Col. L.P. Featherstone, a charter member of the Port Bolivar & Iron Ore Railway Company, was instrumental in connecting Longview (Gregg Co.) and the ore fields of this region. The rail line sparked the town’s population and economic growth. Although the freight business slowed and the railroad stopped running in 1926, its operation made a lasting impact on ore city, which continues to thrive today.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
An antebellum community tied to the Murray League School once stood here but faded after the Civil War, and the area lay quiet until a railroad arrived around 1911. Col. L.P. Featherstone, a charter member of the Port Bolivar & Iron Ore Railway Company, helped link Longview to this region's iron-ore fields, and the new line prompted the platting of Ore City and a rush of settlers and business. Though the railroad stopped running in 1926, the town it created endures.
Why it matters
Ore City is a textbook example of how a short-line railroad reaching a mineral district could summon a whole town into being — and how the community outlived the rails that made it.
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Related people
- · L.P. Featherstone
Themes & tags
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