Gainesville (Amtrak: GLE), officially the Gainesville Santa Fe Depot, is an

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...

train station in Gainesville, Texas. The station is serviced by Amtrak's ''

Heartland Flyer The ''Heartland Flyer'' is a daily passenger train that follows a route between Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Fort Worth, Texas. It is operated by Amtrak and jointly funded by the states of Oklahoma and Texas. The train's daily round-trip begins ...

'' route, which travels from

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. Accord ...

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...

History

The station was built in 1902 as a depot for the

Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway was a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway. From its starting point in Galveston, Texas, the railroad eventually extended northwestwards across the state to Sweetwater and northwards via ...

(now BNSF Railway), replacing a smaller frame structure constructed in the 1890s. Like many Santa Fe stations of the time, the first floor was populated by a

Harvey House The Fred Harvey Company was the owner of the Harvey House chain of restaurants, hotels and other hospitality industry businesses alongside railroads in the Western United States. It was founded in 1876 by Fred Harvey to cater to the growing n ...

restaurant, which operated until 1931. The station was a major destination during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

due to its proximity to Camp Howze, a major infantry training facility. In 1944, Gainesville was the eighth-most travelled station on the Santa Fe Railway. Passenger rail travel declined following the end of World War II due to the increasing popularity of automobile travel, which serviced Gainesville through

U.S. Route 77 U.S. Route 77 (US 77) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway which extends for in the central United States. As of 2005, Its southern terminus is in Brownsville, Texas, at Veteran's International Bridge on the Mexican border, w ...

(and later

Interstate 35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican border ...

). Passenger rail service ceased on December 5, 1979 with the discontinuation of Amtrak's ''Lone Star'' train. The railway deeded the depot to the city on October 19, 1981, and it was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1983. On June 15, 1999, the station was brought into service once again for Amtrak's new ''Heartland Flyer'' service. The station house underwent a restoration, which was completed on October 6, 2001. Currently, the station's first floor is a branch of the Morton Museum of Cooke County, which contains memorabilia for the railroad, Harvey House,

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlant ...

, and the Gainesville Community Circus. The second floor contains a replica of Harvey House's employee quarters, as well as city offices. The building can be rented out for events.

References

External links

Heartland Flyer - Gainesville
Amtrak stations in Texas Former Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway stations Railway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas Railway stations in the United States opened in 1902 Gainesville, Texas Transportation in Cooke County, Texas Buildings and structures in Cooke County, Texas National Register of Historic Places in Cooke County, Texas Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks {{Texas-railstation-stub

History

See also

References

External links