Angelina & Neches River Railroad

The line was chartered in August 1900 by Joseph Kurth, Simon Henderson and brothers Sam and Eli Wiener, and ran first from Keltys eight miles east to Manton. It was converted to standard gauge in 1906. In 1916 it carried passengers for about $6,000 in revenue against more than $40,000 from freight. Twenty-one miles between Dunagan and Chireno were taken up in 1963. Today the railroad runs about 28 miles of track in and around Lufkin, plus 3.5 miles over the Union Pacific main line.

What the plaque says

Angelina & Neches River Railroad Chartered in August 1900 and headquartered in the sawmill town of Keltys, the Angelina and Neches River (A&NR) Railroad began as a small short line railroad to move logs from the woods of East Texas to the mills of the Angelina County Lumber Company. Principal founding partners Joseph H. Kurth, Sr., S. W. Henderson, Sr., Eli Wiener and Sam Wiener, all officers in the Angelina County Lumber Company, joined the growing trend of lumber company industrialists who branched out into the railroad business about the turn of the 20th century. The A&NR began with ten miles of track and two wood-burning narrow-gauge steam locomotives. In 1906, the line added 2.54 miles of track, with its eastern terminus at Alco, a logging camp owned by the lumber company. Two new locomotives were purchased to accommodate the conversion of the track from narrow to standard gauge. By 1911, the line extended to Chireno in Nacogdoches County. With the founding of Southland Paper Mills in 1938, made possible largely due to assets of the A&NR, the railroad expanded to haul in pulpwood and ship out newsprint made from southern pine. In its first 100 years, the Angelina & Neches River's short line service played a key role in the economic development of Lufkin and other communities along the line. It continues as an important part of the history of the East Texas timber industry. (2000)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Caddo Mounds State Historic Site — 30 mi
  Three earthen mounds of an ancestral Caddo village and ceremonial center on the old El Camino Real, settled about A.D. 800 and still sacred to Caddo people, with a grass house and visitor center.

More markers nearby

• First Baptist Church of Lufkin — 1.9 mi
• Stranger's Rest Cemetery — 2.1 mi
• Site of Rehearsal Hall for The Hoo Hoo Band — 2.1 mi
• Site of Martin Wagon Company — 2.1 mi