Today's column and the next two are written by Jan Bailey McCauley, a Marshall native and currently a U.S. history instructor at Tyler Junior College. She will present a full paper on the closing of the T&P Shops on June 17 at the monthly meeting of the Marshall Depot Museum.

By the time I became aware of the T&P Shops in Marshall, they were but a shadow of a former way of life. During my childhood and teen years, I would hear mention of "near the shops" by people giving directions to some long-gone café, gas station or barber shop. Similar comments referred to employment, as in "He worked down at the shops his whole life." From the early '70s, I vaguely remember talk of an incredible fire "destroying the shops." Back then, I didn't realize how pervasive an effect this employer had on the lives of thousands of East Texans for a century. Retracing the history of the Texas and Pacific Railway shops retraces the history of Marshall, and the state and nation as well.

Not if, but when a transcontinental railroad would be completed was a major political and economic issue in mid-19th century America. After Congressional infighting and back-room deals (along with a lengthy Civil War), the first transcontinental railroad connecting the East Coast to the West Coast through Chicago was completed in 1869. Southerners clamored for an additional route and the Reconstruction Congress granted a special charter in 1871 to the Texas Pacific Railroad Company (renamed the Texas and Pacific Railway Company) to build a railroad from Marshall, Texas to San Diego, California. Though federal funding was promised, as had been provided with generous land grants for the northern route, Congress never appropriated the money. Not to be deterred, railroad magnates and wanna-be tycoons got busy seeking investors.

Eager to secure the railroad and as much attendant business as possible and hopeful that either government money or private investors would insure the railroad's success, Harrison County voters passed a $300,000 bond to establish Marshall as the eastern terminus of the T&P. The voters were assured the money would commit the railroad to opening its headquarters and car construction shops in Marshall. The city sweetened the deal by providing 66½ acres of property just north of downtown for what appeared to be the railroad's perpetual commitment to remain in Marshall. The tax increase to cover the bond obligation was difficult for Reconstruction farmers and wage earners, but construction of the shops beginning in 1873 significantly increased employment opportunities, along with the demand for lumber, brick and other building supplies. Eventually, there were 57 separate buildings. A magnificent depot was built in 1912.

Noted American railroad magnate Jay Gould acquired control of the T&P in 1881, considerably expanding the line with his cash, connections and experience. By 1885, however, the line was in receivership; whether over Gould's miscalculations, litigation, or increased costs from bad weather throughout Texas and Louisiana in 1884 is still debated. Nonetheless, expansion and work continued in Marshall after the T&P began its financial recovery. A Marshall Messenger article, August 1897, reported "the average number of men employed in the T.& P. shops is 500, and their pay rolls average $22,500 per month," reflecting substantial salaries for the time.

A 1903 Dallas Morning News article describing "T & P's Big Shops" listed an annual payroll of $1 million. In May 1940, Marshall News Messenger stories described how the town turned out to celebrate the refurbishing and expansion to the passenger station. Chamber of Commerce materials stated 1117 T&P employees drew from a $1.8 million annual payroll—"more than one-fourth of our entire population is directly supported by this institution... to say nothing of the businesses which are wholly dependent upon their patronage."

Harrison County Historical Museum records indicate family after family tied to the shops and railroad employment, working in a wide variety of both blue- and white-collar jobs. Most of the employees, except for those in top supervisory positions, lived in the closely-knit working class neighborhood generally described as "North Side." Children and teens growing up in this neighborhood from the early 1900s on through the 1950s often saw themselves as different, more "rough and ready," from what they perceived to be their more genteel classmates from other sections of town. Many older citizens still proudly proclaim, "I grew up on North Side," an indication of their ability to handle themselves in difficult situations.

The late renowned evangelist Ed Robb, himself a "North Sider" said, "About 2,000 people worked for the T&P. Our clocks were set by the shop whistle." According to local lore, the T&P shop whistle could be heard by fisherman at Caddo Lake some 15 miles away. Audrey Kariel, former mayor and driving force behind the restoration of the T&P Depot, said, "There was a pride and a love of the railroad in this town. Everything ran by that whistle. People were proud to say they worked for the railroad."

Civic pride included Marshall's T&P Hospital, a forerunner of today's corporate managed care, built by the railroad for its employees in 1885 on Grand Avenue. It provided modern medical care for employees from as far away as New Orleans and El Paso, although the bulk of the patients were from East Texas. More evidence of T&P's pervasive influence is the link between management and city government. Though not verifiable in public records, there was said to be "a gentleman's agreement" that the T&P Railroad was assured a representative seat on the Marshall City Council. Lists of early city councils indicate this may indeed have been true.

Next Week: Why Did They Leave and Where Did They Go?

———