Waters Park
Austin, Travis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Waters Park was a multi-ethnic community located north of Austin in the 19th century. The Austin & Northwestern Railroad, which built a line through here to transport granite for construction of the State Capitol, built a recreational park in Waters Park, and ran excursion trains for customers. The resort was a favorite site for family outings. Waters Park included several stores, a post office, schools, churches, a cotton gin and homes. The town declined after World War I, and was later surrounded by the growing city of Austin. (1997)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Waters Park was a multi-ethnic community north of Austin in the 19th century, its fortunes tied to the Austin & Northwestern Railroad, which ran a line through the area to haul granite for the State Capitol. The railroad built a recreational park here and ran excursion trains, making it a favorite spot for family outings, and the town grew to include stores, a post office, schools, churches, a cotton gin, and homes. It declined after World War I and was eventually swallowed by the growing city of Austin.
Why it matters
The vanished town shows how railroads created—and later abandoned—whole communities, and how the great granite of the Texas Capitol moved by rail through places now all but forgotten.
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Themes & tags
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