John J. ("Jack") Durham

The railroad Hamilton wanted in 1907 was a small, hopeful thing. The Stephenville North and South Texas Railway was chartered on February 4, 1907, promoted by the Stephenville bankers Cage and Crow, and citizens along the route gave promissory notes to get it built. Forty-three miles to Hamilton opened on December 31 of that year. A flood in 1908 damaged the right of way, and the Cotton Belt bought the line in 1910 and added branches to Gatesville and Comanche. The Depression ended the track to Stephenville in 1934, and the last Gatesville stretch closed in January 1941.

What the plaque says

John J. ("Jack") Durham Born in Larkinsville, Ala.; came to Coryell County, Tex., 1857, and Hamilton, 1860. Taught school here. Acquired much land; traded 200 cattle for C. C. Bumgartner's Store and Hotel. Helped found and direct Hamilton College, 1884-89. He was one of five men who each gave $5,000 for locating (1907) Stephenville North and South Texas Railway line through Hamilton. Married (1) Elizabeth McCutcheon, and (2) Mrs. Docia Mae Price Frost: was father of 17 children. Recorded-1972

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Hamilton County Courthouse — 0.4 mi
  A limestone courthouse of 1886-87 on the Hamilton square, built after the county's 1878 courthouse burned, enlarged in the early 1930s and rededicated in 2012 after restoration.
• Meridian State Park — 28 mi
  A 505-acre park in Bosque County where World War I veterans of a Civilian Conservation Corps company dammed Bee Creek in 1933-34 for a 72-acre lake and cut stone buildings around it.

More markers nearby

• Ann Whitney — steps away
• Frederick B. Gentry — steps away
• Elise Waerenskjold — 0.5 mi
• Elise Waerenskjold — 0.5 mi