DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it — the story of a Texas town that went from tents and trouble to one of the great hospital centers of the South. Now, Temple didn't exactly ease into existence. It came roaring in the way railroad towns do — fast, loud, and hungry.
Founded in 1881 on the Santa Fe line, it was named for a Santa Fe official by the name of B.M. Temple. And on June 29, 1881, the promoters threw what you might call an opening party — a gala town lot sale, complete with free barbecue.
Come get your land, come get your brisket. That's how you build a town. Then in 1882, the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas Railroad built through, and Santa Fe made Temple a division point.
The bones of a real city were taking shape. But for a good while, those bones were draped in canvas. Temple was a town of shacks and tents, saloons stacked against more saloons, and the kind of tough characters who tend to follow a railroad line like crows follow a plow.
Locally — and I love this — they called it Tanglefoot. Because some citizens discovered that muddy streets plus a generous pour of whiskey made the act of walking a genuine adventure. Tanglefoot.
You almost hate to see a town outgrow a nickname like that. But outgrow it, Temple did. In 1882, the town was incorporated, and two private schools began that same year.
The Temple Academy was organized not long after, and by 1884, a public school was established. The town was pulling itself up out of the mud — literally. Then in 1893, something quietly wonderful started.
A private Thanksgiving celebration among the town's leading men grew into the annual Temple Stag Party. It kept going, year after year, all the way until 1923. Thirty years of tradition, born out of one holiday dinner.
But here is where Temple's story takes a turn nobody might have predicted back in those tent-and-saloon days. Today, Temple is known as a major hospital center of the South. Four institutions anchor that reputation: the Santa Fe Hospital, founded in 1891; King's Daughters Hospital, founded in 1896; Scott and White Hospital, founded in 1904; and the Veterans Administration Hospital — formerly McCloskey Hospital — founded in 1942.
A town that couldn't keep its citizens on their feet grew up to be a place that puts people back on theirs. Tanglefoot, indeed.
What the marker says
Founded in 1881 on the Santa Fe line, Temple, like dozens of Texas towns, owed its beginning to the railroad and was, in fact, named for a Santa Fe official, B.M Temple. On June 29, 1881, a gala town lot sale, with free barbecue, was held by promoters. In 1882, the Missouri, Kansas, & Texas built through and soon after, Santa Fe made Temple a division point. For some time, however, Temple was a town of shacks and tents with the usual large number of saloons and tough characters found in the early west. Locally, it was called "Tanglefoot", because some citizens found that the combination of muddy streets and liquor made walking rather difficult at times. At 1882, the town was incorporated and two private schools began. The Temple Academy was soon organized and public school was established in 1884. In 1893, the annual Temple "Stag Party" began, growing out of a private Thanksgiving celebration attended by the town's leading men. It was held until 1923. Today Temple is known as a major hospital center of the south, for located here are Santa Fe Hospital (founded 1891), King's Daughters Hospital (1896), the Scott and White Hospital (1904), and the Veterans Administration (formerly McCloskey) Hospital (1942). (1968)