Historic Hearne train depot to reopen as a museum
In 110 years the train depot in Hearne that sits just off Texas 6 has undergone significant changes.
The old wooden structure went through a period of neglect in the 1970s and 1980s, when the roof leaked, the bright mustard paint was chipping away and the timbers were rotting.
Since then -- with the help of dozens of dedicated volunteers, grant funding and donations -- it's been moved across the street, painted, restored, and will officially open to the public this weekend as a museum.
"A lot of people in Hearne have been involved in the railroad over the years," said Kent Brunette, director of the Chamber of Commerce and the city's economic development corporation. "We felt it was important to have this history on display."
Brunette saw the project through over the last eight years, but Norma Holloway was the woman who started the ball rolling in 1979, establishing the Hearne Heritage League (over which she served as president) and polling community members about the merits of trying to salvage the dilapidated depot.
"At first, a lot of people weren't interested in the heritage of Hearne," she said, explaining that she had moved from Houston to Hearne after she retired in the late '70s. "But the more involved the league became, the more interested people were."
There were kinks along the way that stalled the project for some time, Holloway said, such as the struggle in 1984 to get permission from Southern Pacific and Union Pacific via a "facade lease" that would allow volunteers to make renovations to the outside of the building.
"But we weren't allowed inside at that time," she said. "There was also quite a bit of trouble getting permission to move the building."
Two years earlier, the railroad agreed to donate the building if the city would pay to have the historic depot moved. At the time the expense involved in safely moving the aging structure was too great - about $70,000.
Holloway said public interest kept the project going during the tough times, and eventually enough money was raised to make the move and fund other necessary improvements.
Brunette said he expects about 500 people to show up for the grand opening of the fully-furnished depot.
Several politicians who presently or formerly represent the area were invited to the celebration, he said, but it's not clear who will be in attendance.
The Austin's Tinplate Trackers Model Train Club will have two displays up and running inside the depot, models of the same train lines that have run through Hearne for more than a hundred years. There will also be plenty of food and concessions for sale, as well as free samples.
The grand opening is set for Saturday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. After that the museum will be open regularly Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. -- the same hours as the Camp Hearne World War II prisoner of war camp just down the road.
To view photos of the depot or read more about its history, visit www.hearnetexas.info.
