College Station Railroad Depots

In 1871 Texas governor Edmund Davis appointed three commissioners to select a site for the newly established Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (Texas A&M College). The commissioners chose this location in large part because of the existence of the Houston and Texas Central (H&TC) Railroad line which began in southeast Texas and extended through this area to Bryan (5 mi. north). Although no railroad depot existed here at the time of Texas A&M's formal opening in 1876, the H&TC made regular stops here for incoming and outgoing college students and faculty. H&TC railroad conductor announcements referring to to this stop as "College Station" gave rise to the name of the surrounding community. The H&TC Railroad constructed a depot at this site in 1883 which it replaced with a new depot about 1900. The H&TC depots and another built by the International & Great Northern (I&GN) Railroad just east of this site in 1900 were for many students who attended Texas A&M the first remembrance of their collegiate experience. Railroad depots owned by the H&TC (later named Southern Pacific) and I&GN (later named Missouri Pacific) maintained passenger service at this location until 1959. In 1966 the last of the depot structures was razed. (1993)

College Station Railroad Depots is a historical marker in College Station, Brazos County, dedicated in 1993. It is one of 54 historical markers documented in Brazos County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 172 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 30.6146, -96.3445 near College Station. The nearest cataloged historic site is Main Drill Field, Texas A&M University (historical marker), about 0.1 miles away. Others within a short drive include Texas A&M Corps of Cadets, Early Play-By-Play Radio Broadcast of a College Football Game, and Texas A&M University.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5041008674. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.