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History
in a Pecan Shell
The J. B. Baldwin family of Marshall
is said to be the source of the name. The community was granted a
post office in 1902 although it was shuttered by 1915.
The 1914 population was given as 350. The community was served by
two general stores and had a cotton gin as well as two sawmills.
By the worst days of the Great Depression, Baldwin’s population had
plummeted to a mere 25 citizens served by a single store.
The site today shows widely dispersed houses with no town center. |
A Visit to
Baldwin Texas
Photographer's
Note
Baldwin is an unincorporated community in northeast Texas, in Harrison
County, on FM-134, about 6-miles west of Karnack,
about 9-miles east of Jefferson,
serving the rail industry.
Note that there is not even a road sign here. Note also, that it is
on several different maps.
The main thing that is here is the Kansas City Southern Rail siding
and a few tracks serving the “TNT Railcar Services” facility. There
used to be a “Rail Plant” there. They welded up 39-foot joints of
rail into quarter mile long lengths of “welded rail” for KCS. It was
quite an operation, doing the welding and loading it onto a special
train. I used to have to go there all the time for KCS when I was
employed with KCS (for 30-years). Also, worked on the special rail
train unloading the “welded” rail to be put into service.
Here is the extremely dangerous “S” curve right over the RR tracks.
- Gerald
Massey, February 2010 |
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| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and vintage/historic photos, please contact
us. |
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