Spring

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Spring, up in Harris County. Now settle in, because this little town has lived about nine different lives, and every one of them is worth the telling. Spring started out the way a lot of North Texas communities did, roots down in the dirt, growing sugar cane and cotton, farming the land the way people do when they're just trying to hold on.

But in 1873, the Houston and Great Northern Railroad came through and platted the town, and that changed everything. That same year, a man named Callahan Pickette stepped up as the town's first postmaster, and Spring was open for business in more ways than one. In those early years, Spring served as a commercial center for the whole surrounding area.

It drew German settlers, too, and one name stands out from that crowd: Carl Wunsche, who was prominent in the town's development. That German heritage didn't fade with time. The marker notes it's still strong in the area today.

Then came a new rail line in the early twentieth century, and with it a roundhouse and railway shops, and Spring grew into a serious rail center. Developer R.L. Robinson subdivided land south of the original town, and the commercial area shifted to accommodate the new rail junction.

The railroads did something else, too. They helped the lumber industry take hold, and Spring boasted mills, large and small, right in the thick of the lumber boom. Now when a boom comes to a small town, the boom doesn't come alone.

It brings friends. Hotels went up. Saloons opened their doors.

There was an opera house, gambling houses, a hospital, a bank. Spring was humming. In 1907, residents established the Spring Independent School District, putting down one more stake in the ground.

But here's where the story takes a hard turn. The roundhouse was lost, and then Prohibition arrived, and those two blows together were enough to send the population sliding back down. The saloons closed.

The hotels shuttered. The rail-supported businesses that had made Spring roar through the boom years went quiet in the 1920s. Now some towns, when the bottom drops out like that, they just quietly disappear.

Spring didn't. The dwindling community created a volunteer fire department in the 1950s. It kept its school district going, and that school district integrated in the mid-1960s.

Spring was still there, still breathing. And then, in the early 1970s, the population started growing again. New businesses opened, including many specialty shops.

A growing urban center nearby meant new residents and new commerce were finding their way to Spring. The marker says it plainly: Spring continues to attract new residents and businesses, but it retains its unique identity and its link to its early history. From cotton fields to rail center to lumber boomtown to quiet survivor to something new all over again, Spring has been through the fire more than once.

And it's still standing.

What the marker says

Spring Initially a farming community supported by crops, including sugar cane and cotton, Spring was platted by the Houston & Great Northern Railroad in 1873. That same year, Callahan Pickette became the town's first postmaster. In its early years, Spring served as a commercial center for the surrounding area. It was also a focal point for German settlers, including Carl Wunsche, who was prominent in the town's development. The area still has a strong German heritage. A new rail line reached Spring in the early 20th century and, with a roundhouse and railway shops, the town grew in importance as a rail center. Developer R.l. Robinson subdivided land south of the original town, and the commercial area shifted to accommodate the rail junction. The railroads facilitated the development of the lumber industry; Spring boasted a number of mills, both large and small, in the boom era of lumber production. With the boom came the need for new businesses, including hotels, saloons, an opera house, gambling houses, a hospital and a bank. In 1907, residents established the Spring Independent School District. The loss of the roundhouse and the onset of Prohibition led to population decline, and the saloons, hotels, and other rail-supported businesses closed in the 1920s. Still, the dwindling community persisted, creating a volunteer fire department in the 1950s and sustaining its school district, which integrated in the mid-1960s. As the population began to grow again in the early 1970s, new businesses opened, including many specialty shops. With its proximity to a growing urban center and, itself an area commercial center, Spring continues to attract new residents and businesses but retains its unique identity and its link to its early history. (2003)