Van Alstyne
Van Alstyne, Grayson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The town of Mantua was established about 3 miles southwest of here in 1854. Mantua prospered but was unexpectedly bypassed in 1873 when the Houston and Texas Central Railway (H&TC) extended its track through this area instead. That year a depot was built and a post office established in the new town named for Maria Van Alstyne, the widow of W. A. Van Alstyne who had been a principal stockholder of the H&TC. Churches, businesses, and people of Mantua and other area towns moved here to be near the railroad. Van Alstyne was incorporated and a newspaper established in 1883. Columbia College was founded in 1889. Van Alstyne contained banks, schools, hotels, an opera house, a literary club, and electric service by 1900, when cotton and other farm production dominated the local economy. Interurban transportation began in 1908. The local "Grays" semi-pro baseball team, established about 1902, played for many decades and produced a number of major league players. Many local businesses, churches, and social organizations trace their origins to Mantua and 19th century Van Alstyne. The historic downtown area, the former site of popular Saturday night social activities, continues as a business and social center.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The town of Mantua flourished a few miles southwest until 1873, when the Houston and Texas Central Railway routed its tracks through this area instead, and a depot and post office sprang up in a new town named for Maria Van Alstyne, widow of an H&TC stockholder. Churches, businesses, and whole families picked up and moved to be near the rails. By 1900 Van Alstyne boasted banks, schools, an opera house, and even a home-grown semi-pro baseball team, the "Grays," that sent players to the major leagues.
Why it matters
Van Alstyne's rise—and Mantua's eclipse—is a classic story of how the railroad decided which American towns would live and which would fade.
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Related people
- · Maria Van Alstyne
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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