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South Texas Railroad Historical Society Records

 Collection
Identifier: Coll-168

This collection is dominated by correspondence from the South Texas Railroad Historical Society attempting to spread their sphere of influence and establish a permanent railroad car display at the Corpus Christi Museum (Now the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History). It also contains ten polaroid photos of an unidentified abandoned locomotive, meeting flyers and minutes, newspaper clippings, various records, and a ten-page type-written history from the group’s final president.

Dates

  • Majority of material found within 1964 - 2004

Conditions Governing Access

No restrictions

Conditions Governing Use

This material is made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to taking precautions against infringement of copyright and respecting the publication rights of reproduced materials. All rights are reserved and retained regardless of current or future development or laws that may apply to fair use standards. Any materials used should be fully credited with their source according to the example given in the Preferred Citation note. Requests for assistance with citations and images of publication quality should be directed to specialcollections@tamucc.edu

Extent

<1 Linear Feet

Abstract

The South Texas Railroad Historical Society was formed sometime in the late 1950’s or early 1960’s as a way for railroad enthusiasts local to the Corpus Christi region to connect with each other and share information. The Society spent nearly two decades attempting to set up a rail exhibit with genuine full-size railcars at the Corpus Christi Museum (now the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History). After much lobbying and work by the group, it became apparent that the project was not to be, and the group disbanded.

Biographical / Historical

The South Texas Railroad Society formed around the time that steam locomotives were being replaced by diesel. The Interstate Highway System and increasing reliability of air travel had begun to drastically reduce the use of railroads for passenger service. Alarmed at the rate of change in such a short period of time, the Society set about gathering artifacts related to rail travel for preservation.

Their most audacious plan was rounding up several railcars and a locomotive, which they then arranged to be delivered a block away from the Corpus Christi Science and History Museum. The intention was to restore them, then open them to the public as part of the museum. Budget cuts at the museum however would not allow the hiring of several full-time positions needed to watch over the cars if they were to be open to patrons. After languishing two blocks from the corrosive salt of the bay for over a decade with no plan to open them in sight, the entire railcar collection was donated to the Galveston Center for Transportation and Commerce and shipped there by barge.

The South Texas Railroad Historical Society disbanded after the removal of the railcars. While the society was not successful in bringing their vision to Corpus Christi, they were able to save several notable pieces of history that otherwise would have been scrapped and lost forever. Several smaller items that they preserved did make their way into the Corpus Christi Science and History Museum.

Arrangement

This collection is organized by a single series with twelve folders. The folders are Historical, Historical No Dates, Member List, Meeting Flyers, Meeting Minutes, Correspondence 1967-1968, Correspondence 1969, Correspondence 1970’s, Correspondence 1980’s, Correspondence No Date, Photos, and Newspaper clippings.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

This collection was donated to Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi by Kenneth Leigh Anthony on 2-25-2004. The donation was assisted by Thomas H. Kreneck.

Related Materials

Collection 212: Kenneth L. Anthony Historic Photographic Collection

Processing Information

This collection was arranged by Eric Christensen, Archive Processing Librarian for Texas A&M University– Corpus Christi’s Special Collections & Archives Department.