Sealy

George Sealy, the namesake, started work at twelve on a Pennsylvania farm, paid ten cents a day to sit as a weight on a plow. At eighteen he was a Lackawanna Railroad station agent, and in 1857 he joined his brother John in Galveston as a shipping clerk at Ball, Hutchings and Company, sweeping the office. He opposed secession but served as a private and represented the firm in Mexico from 1862 to 1865. A partner by 1870, he reorganized the troubled Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe, and as his brother's executor he helped establish John Sealy Hospital.

What the plaque says

Sealy Founded in 1879 on the route of the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railroad, Sealy was named for Galveston businessman and railroad president George Sealy (1835-1901). By January 1880 a depot was established here, and both freight and passenger service were inaugurated. Sealy became a main division point between Galveston and Temple, and the railroad was the town's principal employer. In addition to the depot, Sealy was the site of a roundhouse, wooden turntable, and machine shops. By August 1880 two passenger trains and two freight trains passed through the town daily. Sealy soon boasted numerous homes and businesses, including hotels, retail stores, factories, cotton gins, and grist mills. The citizens organized a public school and a number of churches. By 1899 the Santa Fe Railroad division point was moved to Bellville, causing Sealy's economic base to shift to agriculture. The Missouri, Kansas, and Texas (Katy) Railroad had built a line through here in 1892, however, and the Cane Belt Railroad, linking Sealy to Matagorda, began operations in 1903. Diversified businesses kept the town thriving, and in 1949 the citizens of Sealy voted to incorporate. (1991)

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Citizens State Bank — steps away
• Haynes Mattress Factory — steps away
• Sealy Cemetery — 0.4 mi
• Frydek Catholic Cemetery — 3.6 mi