Journey on
abandoned Rails -
Denison, Texas
Founded by the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad (the
Katy) in 1872, Denison, named after a railroad
executive, was the entry point of the first north/south
railroad in Texas. The city grew as a transportation hub
throughout the 20th century, and was a very important
economic center for all of northern Texas and
southern Oklahoma.

Then passenger services diminished in the 1960s.
When freight service declined in the 1990s, Denison's
rail switching yards were dismantled and sold for scrap.

A bypass for US 75 - Denison's main street - was built
west of town, and now the city that once was giving
Dallas a run for its money is struggling to hold on.
Dwight D. Eisenhower was born in this small
home near the KATY tracks in Dension, where
his father worked for the railroad.
Eisenhower, we all know, became the
Commander of US Armed Forces in WWII and
President of the United States from 1952-1960.

Here's a funny coincidence that will appeal
mainly to history nerds (like me!): Eisenhower
called Abilene, Kansas, his home (it's where
his presidential library and museum can be
visited). Abilene was the first terminus of the
Chisholm Trail, which was founded by Joseph
McCoy in 1867. Joseph McCoy would later
move to Denison, where he became part
owner of the nation's first refrigerated car
company, which was built to supplant the
Chisholm Trail.
Some exhibits at Dension's Railroad Museum.
The old hospital in Denison is waiting on either demolition, a buyer, or both.
Across the tracks sits the old Traveler's Hotel,
built by a German sea captain and now a
private residence.
A commercial building on a Denison side
street. Beside the building used to sit an
African American Baptist Church, which
was once visited by Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr. It has been razed.
Brick road behind downtown Denison.
Denison's beautiful Catholic Church.
Denison opened the first free public school, segregated by grades,  in Texas. In 2007, the beautiful
mission-style high school on the western end of downtown was razed.

What was weird about this unbelievably short-sighted act was that the high school was owned by
the city. The city wants to use the site as a library (and sell the rest of the land to developers). So,
one should ask: isn't the city responsible for keeping the town's cultural heritage? Therefore,
shouldn't the city leaders have kept the main part of the school, renovated it, and built it into a
library?

Many Denison residents thought exactly that way. They tried their best to stop demolition, but
money won out.

To read more about this senseless and unnecessary destruction, click on these links:

National Trust Article
Save Denison's History  - Excellent research paper by Mavis Bryant (a new window will open)
Save Denison's History Site
Preservation Texas
Texas Observer Article

Oh, how I wish the city leaders would have taken a page from Jefferson's play book. Jefferson,
Texas, an important in-land port city in the 19th century, was on the verge of historic demolition
when it decided to re-create itself into a tourist attraction. Today, Jefferson is one of Texas' most
interesting and visited destinations. Its history, while older, parallels Denison's in many, many
ways. It is a sad day when city leaders do not, WILL not, think of generations to come - only what
will make them profit today.