Titus County, Texas History - The Mt. Pleasant Cotton Belt Depot

From the 1800s through the 1930s, passenger trains were the only practical method of rapid long-distance mass transit and the Cotton Belt Depot was where Titus County citizens embarked on trips to distant cities. Local merchants made annual trips to distant markets to purchase the manufactured goods sold in local stores, and the Cotton Belt Depot is the point where Titus County products were shipped to distant markets. Likewise, the Cotton Belt Depot was the first point that people traveling from distant cities saw upon arrival to Mt. Pleasant, and the railroad made their coming here possible.

In the early 1900s when Dellwood Park was a major recreation center and tourist attraction, people came from near and far to enjoy its lavish 70 room hotel accommodations, take part in activities, and partake of its "healing" mineral waters. A trolley that ran from the intersection of what are now East First and East Second Streets to Dellwood took guests who arrived in Mt. Pleasant by train to the park and returned them to the Cotton Belt for their return trip home when their stay ended.

Many of the estimated 6,000 Confederate veterans who attended the 1909 United Confederate Veteran's Reunion in Dellwood Park that year arrived in Mt. Pleasant aboard Cotton Belt trains. An arch was erected at the foot of Depot Street at the entrance to the business district to represent the gateway to the city for veterans to pass through on their way into town.

In more recent times, three special trains brought dignitaries from Dallas, Paris, and St. Louis to attend the opening of Mt. Pleasant's refinery in 1937. The Chamber of Commerce requested that everyone possible lend their automobiles to ferry the dignitaries from the Cotton Belt Depot to the refinery for the occasion.

In addition to countless passengers who passed through the depot, it was also the county's main freight shipping terminal for many years. A long produce shed once ran north from the present depot building where buyers would purchase the county's agricultural products from local farmers and load it onto trains bound for distant markets. Without the railroad, this county would have had severe hardships in shipping products that were so vital to its economy. When Titus County began developing its dairy herds after the Texas Milk Products Company erected a plant in Mt. Pleasant, high-bred cattle used to establish the herds were shipped from other states by rail.

Hard woods from Titus County forests were shipped to manufacturing plants in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area to be processed into finished goods. Barrels from the Hoffmann Heading and Stave factory, once Titus County's largest employer, left Mt. Pleasant for trips to customers around the world.

Over the years preceding and after World War II, bodies of most Titus County residents who passed away in other places or were killed in the war were returned home by train for burial.

When the Cotton Belt entered the long-haul trucking business in the 1940s and 1950s, the depot was also the terminal for the Southwestern Truck Lines. Merchandise was arrived in Mt. Pleasant by both train and truck, was then loaded onto trucks for local delivery.

The Union Pacific Railway, which acquired the St. Louis Southwestern Railway (the Cotton Belt), moved all of its operations to a new building located at 230 East Fourth Street in early 2007, and the Cotton Belt Depot now sits vacant and is in urgent need of repair.

Cotton Belt's Mt. Pleasant Railroad Depot is our county's last reminder of the important role that the Cotton Belt and succeeding railroads played in the development of Mt. Pleasant and Titus County when railroad access was the area's lifeblood.

The Cotton Belt Depot is located in downtown Mt. Pleasant, Texas. It is bordered by the Union Pacific tracks on the east, Washington Street on the West, and its grounds comprise the entire block between East Third and East Fourth Streets.

Our depot is not as architecturally elaborate as depots in some Northeast Texas towns, but it has a clean, utilitarian design with a high-pitched gabled tile roof.

The current depot was not Cotton Belt's first Mt. Pleasant depot. The present building replaced an earlier wooden depot that was located in the same location. The earlier depot consisted of two buildings, an express office which sat at the corner of what is now East Third Street, and a passenger and freight depot which sat north of the express office. The two depot structures were used from the 1800s until at least 1911, and may have been used until 1913 to as late as 1920.

So far, we cannot find records establishing exactly when the present brick building replaced the two wooden buildings, but arrived at our estimate as follows: By studying Sanborn maps, we know that the two building configuration was used between 1891 (the earliest map) and 1911. The next Sanborn map available is 1920, but it does not show the block where the depot sits. However, the 1920 Sanborn map does show the Cotton Belt District Supervisor's office which was erected in 1913. The next Sanborn map after 1920 is the 1933 map, and it shows a single depot building exactly where the present depot sits.

Cotton Belt's 1913 Railroad Commission report shows that the two story District Supervisor's Office was erected on the northwest corner of what are now East Third and Washington Streets in 1913 at a cost of $48,998.72 (approximately $1,040,230 in 2007 dollars). There is no mention in the 1913 report of building a new depot, but for that day and time $49,000 was a lot of money to pay for a two story brick building. While we have no substantiating proof or documentation that the current depot was built in 1913, due to the cost shown for the District Supervisor's Office we suspect that the expenditure may have included structures other than the two story office building.

Mt. Pleasant Daily Times, Mt. Pleasant, Texas

Saturday, September 19, 1936

Improvements Being Made for Freight Depot

Extensive improvements are being made on the Cotton Belt freight depot, which when completed will give considerably more room for the operating force, and make the building much more attractive.

The telegraph instruments will be moved from their present location in the office to what was once the yardmaster's office, which is being entirely remodeled, and will segregate the dispatchers from other employees. The freight office will be changed considerably also.

An entirely new roof will be placed on the entire structure, which is a large building, new flooring will be laid in the new offices and there will be several other items of improvement. It will require some time for the completion of the work.

A new composition roof is being laid on the Main Hotel building on North Jefferson Avenue. This is a huge structure, and requires a great deal of roofing material to cover it.

Mt. Pleasant's Cotton Belt Depot is another Titus County building that is in danger of becoming a passing memory like the steam trains that once stopped there. If it is to be saved, the Cotton Belt Depot must be acquired and restored soon in order to preserve the historical significance that it represents to Mt. Pleasant and Titus County.

The depot building is deteriorating from weather exposure, and we were reliably informed that the Union Pacific Railroad is considering demolishing it. A number of roof tiles are broken, allowing rain to leak into the building and damage its structural integrity. Vandals have broken several window panes, which will allow more water into the building.

There has been considerable talk for several years about saving the depot, but as yet no solid plan has been proposed as how it could be put to a modern use to extend its useful life. Negotiations to acquire the Cotton Belt Depot which were conducted over several years have stalled.

We do not mean to imply that acquisition and restoration of the building will be easy or inexpensive, but both are possible if a concerted and well-planned effort is made to do so. We have spoken with various groups and civic leaders who have unofficially indicated that they may be willing to contribute some seed money toward the depot's acquisition and restoration.

With community involvement, surely a proper plan can be devised to acquire and preserve the Depot, and a modern use for this historic structure can be found to assure its preservation.

It will be a true shame if Titus County citizens cannot work out an agreement suitable to Union Pacific to save the Cotton Belt Depot and prevent it from being demolished and passing into history without a trace like most of our historic buildings have been allowed to do. There is surely an acceptable way for Titus County to acquire the Depot from Union Pacific and restore it to its former glory before it becomes just a passing memory.

The clock is ticking. If Mt. Pleasant citizens want to save this historic building, it is time to form a group of interested citizens to step forward. A detailed assessement should be made now to see if the building can be saved, or has already deteriorated too far. Citizens should come up with an organized plan that includes a modern use for the depot building that will repay the money needed for its acquisition and restoration over a period of time, while at the same time insuring its historical preservation.

If we delay too much longer, this historic building will either decay past feasible restoration (if it hasn't already) or may be demolished.

There's no two ways about it. Acquiring and restoring the Cotton Belt Depot will be complicated and expensive if it can be done. The project may not even be feasible, but we are curious to see how many people are seriously interested in preserving the building.

Here is the current situation as we understand and perceive it in February, 2008:

Before attempts are made to acquire and restore the building, a modern use needs to be devised for it that will utilize the structure and can return the cost of acquisition and restoration over a period of time. It cannot be restored and then allowed to sit vacant. That would be a waste of money and effort and the building will simply deteriorate again.

We have heard considerable interest in using the building as a historical museum. However, being just a few feet from the live tracks, this is not a good museum location. Other historical commissions who own depot museums have said that they cannot display certain items due to vibrations caused by passing trains. They also have to plan activities around train schedules due to noise.

Additionally, a local historical museum (regardless of where you put it) seldom generates enough funds by itself to pay all of its operating costs. It is unreasonable to expect a local history museum to be able to directly fund the Depot's acquisition and restoration. Small museums must depend on donations from local residents, local governments, corporations, grants, and lots of volunteer labor to fund their operation. Only a museum with a very compelling, broad-based theme that can attract very high traffic at a fair admission fee, like the Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas, can generate much revenue. A local history museum cannot attract high traffic volumes, and cannot charge much, if anything, for admission.

A historical museum, if properly executed, adds to the town's cultural interests. A Titus County historical museum is very worthwhile and should be pursued, but is only a single cog in a much larger wheel. In the larger picture, local historical museums help bring tourists to the town and generate indirect revenue, but do not generate much direct revenue that can be used to pay the bills. Realistically, it is highly unlikely that Titus County has a compelling enough history for a local museum to become a travel destination. However, a high-quality Titus County Historical Museum would be a positive addition to the town's overall attractions and would be invaluable in educating younger generations about their local history.

Immediately upon acquisition, the Union Pacific requires that a tall fence be erected the length of the property between the depot and the tracks to prevent visitors from straying onto the live tracks in front of a train.

There are issues regarding transfer of the land surrounding the depot that must be overcome.

As the photos below show, the tile roof, which the best we can determine was installed in 1936, is in very bad shape and lets water to leak into the building. Railroad workers told us that it is unstable and not safe to walk on. It must either be repaired or replaced first thing to prevent more damage.

There are asbestos abatement issues which must be addressed, which we were told were estimated to cost around $50,000 in 1993. It will be more expensive now.

From the outside, we can see several signs of wood rot. The rotten wood facia visible from the outside could be rather easily repaired, but is also a sign that there could be structural damage hidden behind it or in the roof decking or joists below the tiles.

Wiring and plumbing need to be brought up to current standards, and the building should be brought up to ADA standards.

These are only the obvious issues that we found on a cursory survey. We do not present them to discourage restoration, only to present the truth. There may be others that we are not aware of. Each issue can be overcome, but must be addressed and will require money.

To acquire and restore the Depot, interested people need to form a Depot Association to determine a modern use that the Depot can fulfill considering its condition and location. Detailed construction surveys and cost estimates should be run to determine the total cost to acquire and restore the building, with an allowance for hidden problems which always come up when working with old buildings.

If the project appears to be feasible after obtaining a fairly reliable cost estimate, the Depot Association should be incorporated as a 501-C3 tax-exempt non-profit corporation. Then, there would be some chance of obtaining cash, material, and labor donations to acquire and restore the building.

If you're seriously interested in pursuing acquisition and restoration of the Cotton Belt Depot, please contact us through this website. We'll build a list of people who are interested and see if we can carry the project further if enough people are seriously interested.