Hours of Operation
Friday and Saturday
10:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Free admission
Location
119 E. North Front St
Strawn, TX 76475
- The restored Texas and Pacific Train Depot is located next door to the Museum.
- Ask the Museum Host for a tour when the Museum is open.
Contact Information
PO Box 294, Strawn, TX 76475
254-672-5311 and 512-557-4399 (weekends)
- Membership forms and Memorial Brick order forms are available on the Strawn Museum website:
https://www.strawntx.org/strawnhistoricalmuseum
The Museum is housed in the former “Boy Scout Hut,” which was built in 1953. When the Boy Scout organization was discontinued in Strawn, the Development Corporation of Strawn restored the building and designated it for a museum. In February 2001, it was officially renamed the Strawn Historical Museum, with a Board of Directors elected to govern the 501(c)(3) organization. A Memorial Park surrounding the Museum was later added as a tribute to Strawn’s pioneers, founders, and past citizens.
Strawn has a rich heritage dating back to the 1850s. The purpose of the Strawn Historical Museum is to protect, preserve, record, and share the history of its early pioneer settlers and continue through future generations. The Museum houses a varied collection of photos, newspapers, furnishings, and artifacts from homes and businesses, as well as other memorabilia that has been donated. The Texas and Pacific Train Depot houses pictures, newspaper articles, furnishings, tools/equipment, and artifacts related to Strawn’s history with the railroad.
The Strawn Train Depot Returns Home
The historic Texas & Pacific train depot arrived home and was relocated to Memorial Park on May 17, 2014, 34 years after being sold and moved in 1980.
After the depot closed in 1976, it was moved to Thurber, then bought and moved to Oakdale, where the warehouse portion of the depot is now used as part of the Oakdale Steakhouse. The office portion of the depot (with ticket windows and waiting rooms) was placed in a field next to the owner’s house. In 2012, after learning that the owner would donate it back to Strawn, the Museum Board (Bill D. Hinkson, John Ferguson, Shirley Lindsay, Lou Jones, Diana Hinkson) began planning its return.
Long-time Strawn residents fondly recall memories of the Texas and Pacific depot, such as riding the passenger trains to other cities, picking up freight deliveries, shipping cattle, and riding bikes on the depot ramp. Much of Strawn’s early history centers around the railroad. Stephen Bethel Strawn, for whom the city of Strawn was named, laid off his property for the new town in 1879-1880. According to historical accounts, Mr. Strawn gave every other block to the T & P Railroad to encourage the company to bring their rails through the new settlement. James N. Stuart, who first settled in the North Fork area (later Strawn) and ranched with the Strawn family, was also instrumental in bringing the railroad to the area by leasing the railroad rights for practically nothing (some said $1 or $2). Cattle pens were built on the south side of the rails at the end of the old Caddo Road, which became known as the Strawn stop. J. N. Stuart and S. B. Strawn drew up a legal agreement with Texas and Pacific Railroad to build the depot and paid $2,000. The town began to develop after the Texas and Pacific Railway rolled into Strawn on July 4, 1880. The railroad brought supplies, which encouraged new business ventures, and immigrants to work in the coal mines and thriving coal industry in the area, further spurring the growth of Strawn.
In May 1976, long-time railroad depot agent Jim Chesnut ended 27 years as the Strawn depot agent when T&P Railroad decided to close the depot. Interviewed by the Strawn Reporter News in May 1976, Chesnut recalled the movement of men and materials on the T & P line during World War II. He and other area depot agents often worked through the night to relay instructions to the 500-passenger troop and supply trains. Chesnut also recalled the decline of passenger trains, noting that passenger service to Strawn ended sometime during the 1950s. Other former depot agents included J.M. Tucker and David L. Lindsay (grandfather of Strawn resident Shirley Lindsay).
The former T & P train depot is a restoration project by the Strawn Historical Museum Board of Directors. Major repairs to the exterior were completed in 2015-2016. The Museum Board gratefully acknowledges grants received from The Brazos Foundation of Palo Pinto County to help with the cost of moving the depot and beginning exterior renovations, donations from Palo Pinto County Historical Commission, along with donations from many others. Interior renovations were completed in October 2018, thanks to a community leadership project undertaken by Strawn ISD senior Jordan Spakes. The Museum Board partnered with Jordan, the Strawn Chamber of Commerce, the City of Strawn, and community volunteers to accomplish the goal of restoring the depot interior so that it could be opened to the public.