Pumpville
Langtry, Val Verde County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1882, the Galveston, Harrisburg & San Antonio Railway created a water stop for steam engines on a new line through this area. Two and a half miles north of this site, the company built a pumphouse, depot and other facilities. A community first known as Samuels and later renamed Pumpville developed around the rail amenities. Residents worked for the rail company or area ranches, which used the stop as a way to get livestock to market. With the advent of the diesel engine, which did not require water, the railroad removed its structures, and only the ranching community remained. The townsite, which once boasted a post office, schools and general store, remains a focal point for the local population. (2005)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When the Galveston, Harrisburg & San Antonio Railway pushed a line through this arid stretch of West Texas in 1882, its steam engines needed water, so the company built a pumphouse and depot that gave rise to a small community—first called Samuels, then Pumpville. Residents worked the rails or the surrounding ranches, which used the stop to ship livestock to distant markets. When diesel locomotives made the water stops obsolete, the railroad hauled away its buildings, and only the ranching families remained.
Why it matters
Pumpville is a snapshot of how the railroad both created and abandoned communities across the West, its very existence tied to the passing needs of the steam locomotive.
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