Union Station

Duane's take

Well, friends, I'm gonna tell you this one the way the marker tells it — the official Texas Historical Commission version — so you know you're getting the straight goods on Union Station, Paris, Texas. Now, Lamar County had been chasing a railroad the way a dog chases a tailgate — hopeful, persistent, and not always sure what it'd do if it caught one. Attempts to bring rail service to the county started back in the mid-1800s, but a line didn't actually reach the city of Paris until 1875, and even then it came in quiet, sneaking up on the south side of town.

That wasn't good enough for Paris, though. No sir. The residents started raising money — actual money, out of their own pockets — to sweet-talk not one but two railroad companies into coming their direction.

They went after the St. Louis and San Francisco, the Frisco as folks called it, nudging it to extend its line down from the north. And they courted the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe to push its line up from Galveston out of the southeast.

Two railroads. Two directions. One city with big ideas.

And in 1887, those two lines met right here. You can almost hear the whistles. From there, Paris didn't slow down.

By 1912, five separate rail lines were serving this city — the Texas and Pacific, the Santa Fe, the Frisco, the Texas Midland, and the Paris and Mount Pleasant. Five lines. For a while there, Paris was the kind of place trains couldn't stay away from.

Now, with all that traffic rolling through, the city needed a proper front door. There'd been individual depots for the separate railroads, and by the early 1900s a wooden Union Station had already gone up on this very site. But wood has a way of feeling temporary, and by 1910, Paris decided to build something that would last.

Construction on the present Union Station began that year, and it opened for business in 1912, serving Frisco, Santa Fe, and Texas Midland passenger trains. The architect, whoever they were, has been lost to time — nobody recorded the name, and the marker doesn't say. But the design speaks for itself: Prairie and Italianate style, similar to other stations along the Frisco line.

Dark-colored brick set off by lighter stone sills and lintels. A tiled, hipped roof with dormers and deep overhanging eaves held up by brackets. And rising above it all, a seventy-seven-foot tower built to resemble an Italian campanile — a watchtower.

Standing in Paris, Texas, looking like it belongs on the Italian countryside. That is a particular kind of confidence, and I respect it. Inside, the story gets heavier.

Segregated waiting rooms served patrons — a reminder that the progress and grandeur of that building was not equally shared. The railway express agency occupied the south wing, and the trains kept coming. Passenger numbers in Paris peaked during World War II, driven by the presence of nearby Camp Maxey.

Soldiers moving, families following, a nation in motion — and Union Station was right in the middle of all of it. But wars end, and the automobile had been quietly winning a different kind of war for years. Passenger rail travel declined.

The Santa Fe ended service in 1954. The final Frisco passenger train pulled out of Union Station in 1956. After that, the depot kept working freight operations, grinding on into the late twentieth century before even that fell quiet.

Then, in 1997, the Kiamichi Railroad — which had acquired the Frisco and Santa Fe interests — donated the depot to the city of Paris for restoration. The Texas Historical Commission placed the Recorded Texas Historic Landmark designation in 2003. That seventy-seven-foot tower is still standing.

Still watching. Built to last, and — so far — it has.

What the marker says

Attempts to bring rail service to Lamar County began in the mid-1800s, but a line did not reach the city of Paris until one was built to the south side of town in 1875. Residents raised money to entice the St. Louis & San Francisco (Frisco) to extend its line to Paris from the north, and the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe to extend from Galveston from the southeast. The lines met here in 1887. By 1912, five lines served Paris: The Texas & Pacific, the Santa Fe, the Frisco, the Texas Midland, and the Paris & Mount Pleasant. In addition to small depots serving individual railroads, the city had a wooden Union Station by the early 1900s at this site. In 1910, construction on the present Union Station began, and it opened for business in 1912 serving Frisco, Santa Fe and Texas Midland passenger trains. Segregated waiting rooms served patrons, and the railway express agency occupied the south wing. The architect is unknown, but the Prairie and Italianate style design is similar to others on the Frisco rail line. The building's dark-colored brick is complemented by lighter stone sills and lintels. The tiled, hipped roof features dormers and deep, overhanging eaves with brackets. The 77-foot tower resembles an Italian campanile, or watch tower. Rail passenger numbers in Paris peaked during World War II due to nearby Camp Maxey, but as automobile usage increased, passenger rail travel declined. The Santa Fe ended service in 1954 and the final Frisco passenger train left Union Station in 1956, but the depot continued to serve freight operations until the late 20th century. In 1997, the Kiamichi Railroad acquired Frisco and Santa Fe interests and donated the depot for restoration to the city of Paris. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2003