The Kilgore I&GN-Missouri Pacific Railroad Station

Constantine Buckley Kilgore was born in Newnan, Georgia, on February 20, 1835 and came to Rusk County in 1846, according to Gregg County's TXGenWeb pages, which cite the deed books. He married Frances Young Barnett in 1858. On October 28, 1871 he deeded the International Railroad Company a 200-foot strip for $100. In March 1872 he bought 731 acres, and in July 1874 the railroad's dedication of the town's streets and alleys was recorded. He moved to Wills Point in 1877 and was later elected to Congress.

What the plaque says

The Kilgore I&GN-Missouri Pacific Railroad Station The town of Kilgore was platted by the International Railroad Company after it purchased land for a townsite from C. B. "Buck" Kilgore, who had donated a 200-foot railroad right-of-way in 1871. Kilgore, a resident of Danville (4 mi. E), recognizing the economic opportunities afforded by the railroad, soon built a new home near the station. Many other Danville citizens followed Kilgore's lead, and a community was established and named for him. This railroad station was completed in 1872 to provide passenger and freight service and to serve as a communications center for this agricultural and lumbering area. In 1931 oil was discovered in what became known as the East Texas Oil field, and the volume of shipments from the Kilgore station increased dramatically. Later, World War II provided the depot with a steady stream of troop trains. The rail line became known as the Missouri Pacific in 1956. As automobile, bus, and air travel became more popular, rail traffic decreased, and in 1977 the Kilgore station was closed. The depot stands today as a reminder of the significant role rail transportation played in the growth and development of Kilgore and East Texas. (1984)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• East Texas Oil Museum — 0.8 mi
  A Kilgore College museum that rebuilds the 1930s oil boom in a full-scale Boomtown with a general store, drugstore and newspaper office, plus dioramas, films and antiques given by East Texans.
• New London Museum and Cenotaph — 11 mi
  A volunteer-run museum beside the pink granite cenotaph for the March 1937 school gas explosion, holding a model of the school, a blackboard from that day and an odorizer device.
• Camp Ford Historic Park — 23 mi
  A free county park north of Tyler on the site of the largest Confederate prison camp west of the Mississippi, with a kiosk, an interpretive trail and a historical society museum downtown.
• Tyler State Park — 25 mi
  A 985-acre park eight miles north of Tyler, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps from 1935 to 1941 around a 64-acre spring-fed lake, with more than 13 miles of trails.

More markers nearby

• World's Richest Acre — steps away
• Lou Della Crim Home — steps away
• Site of Alexander Institute — steps away
• The New Deal Era in Kilgore — 0.4 mi