Historical Marker
Rochelle Depot
Rochelle, McCulloch County · Texas
Erected 1982
The railroad that put Rochelle on the map was chartered in 1885 to run from Fort Worth to Brownwood. Its backers, Fort Worth boosters and the Vanderbilt syndicate, dreamed of a line to the Pacific at Topolobampo in Mexico, but the track crept, reaching Brownwood only in 1891. The St. Louis and San Francisco bought it in 1901 and pushed it fifty miles to Brady by 1903 and on to Menard in 1911. Its proudest work was promotion: the Karporama Car, the state's first traveling immigration exhibit.
What the plaque says
Rochelle Depot J.F. Crew of Ohio purchased land here in 1902 and later moved to McCulloch County and founded the settlement of Rochelle. When the Fort Worth and Rio Grande Railroad built a line from Brownwood to Brady in 1902-03, he was successful in having it routed through Rochelle. Later part of the Santa Fe system, the railroad played an important role in the area's early growth and agricultural development. The town's first depot burned and was replaced about 1912 by this frame structure. In 1956 it was moved to this site for use as a community center. (1982)
Where it stands
31.22641, -99.20983 · Directions
More markers nearby
- Rochelle Cemetery — 1.5 mi
- Soldier's Waterhole — 3.7 mi
- Curtis Airfield — 7.4 mi
- General Ben McCulloch, C.S.A. — 9.7 mi