Freestone County, Texas Museums Burlington-Rock Island Railroad Museum Teague, Freestone County, Texas Teague railroad depot exhibits bygone times in community By RICHARD L. SMITH [Waco] Tribune-Herald staff writer TEAGUE - The sign outside the depot advertises a railroad museum. But one could say that the Burlington-Rock Island Railroad Museum is as much a portal to the soul of a community than a collection of railway artifacts. The Teague museum documents the strong ties between the community and the railroad. It also offers a glimpse of what life was like in bygone days and of those who were there. The nearly century-old building underwent a two-year overhaul that began in 1999, and volunteers are now eager to show off their renovated crown jewel to visitors. "Kids really like 'Big Mike' and the caboose," said Ginny Folsom, who guided a recent tour. Folsom is a Teague bank compliance officer and secretary of the museum's board of trustees. Big Mike is the 1925 Baldwin steam locomotive outside the museum on which children can get up close and personal with the old-timey engine. The black locomotive was donated by the W.T. Carter and Brother Lumber Co. The company once used the train at its former sawmill in the East Texas town of Camden. The caboose was given to the museum by the Burlington Northern Railroad. That was the predecessor of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe that now runs freight trains through Teague. The static rail pieces come from outside Teague. But inside the museum are many relics from the town's past. What's inside is much more than train and railroad history. The price tag was about $20,000 for the train depot that would also serve as headquarters for the Trinity & Brazos Valley Railway, said Folsom. The railroad originally ran from Hillsboro to Cleburne but was linked to Teague in 1906. Like many train lines of the time, the Trinity & Brazos Valley was christened with a nickname, the "Boll Weevil," in light of the many farmers the line ferried to conferences held on eradicating the cotton pest. The depot is described as a mixture of Romanesque and Prairie architecture. Such designs were popular when construction started in 1906. The building was completed the next year. Visitors to the museum enter through an octagonal-shaped area known as the "rotunda." The room features five towering archways that lead to adjoining rooms. Among these rooms are the waiting areas for passengers, once-segregated rooms for black and white travelers. The ground floor of the museum hosts an assortment of railroad photos, including those taken by Teague photographer Harry Hippel. His wife worked as a hostess on passenger trains. "We really have acquired a wonderful heritage of photos from people who were right there," Folsom said. Also at ground level is an assortment of railroad memorabilia ranging from striped engineers' hats and ancient rail passes to old kerosene lamps that watchmen used for signaling. A noticeable piece of history on the first floor that is not a rail artifact is a large Cottrell printing press. It printed the Teague Chronicle from 1906 until 1976. The upstairs portion of the museum served as railway offices until 1968. The depot by that time was jointly owned by the Fort Worth & Denver Railway and the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad. Those two firms sold the building for $1 to the city of Teague. The city council appointed a museum committee and the museum opened in 1970. Today, the 15 former offices upstairs feature different aspects of history. One room displays a variety of items, including a collection of old wedding dresses. An unusual wicker basket also stands in the room. The basket functioned in bygone days as a temporary casket to take a body from a home to an embalmer. One display notes February's Black History Month. Folsom said the Teague chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People loaned the museum pieces ranging from a doll collection to ebony carvings. Rooms upstairs include one dedicated to Teague's military veterans. It contains numerous uniforms and other armed services memorabilia. Another room depicts an early doctor's office. That room shows a sick bed, an incubator for newborns and assorted medical instruments. Behind the museum stands a 125-year-old, two-room log house that once stood in the Dew community of Freestone County. "They moved it log-by-log and moved it here," said Sharon Johnson, a museum volunteer. The log home has a kitchen on one side of an open "dogtrot," or hallway, and a bedroom on the opposite side. Both rooms sport fireplaces and are furnished with items from the period the cabin was built. Teague's interest in the museum is illustrated in the many photographs and relics that have been donated, Folsom said. So many pieces have been given that items are rotated for viewing. She said the museum was renovated with the help of a state transportation grant of $540,000 and local funds of $140,000. The renovation began in 1999 and was completed in February 2001. The overhaul required meticulous work, Folsom said, because of rules that come with the depot's listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Volunteers keep the museum running. Volunteer Betty French said the youngsters from groups including the local 4-H Club and National Honor Society are among the hardest workers of all. Folsom said the museum encourages younger people to become involved. "We want to let the kids see how things work," she said. "They've kind of lost touch with that." The museum is open from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays with other tours available by appointment.