Perhaps the biggest problem facing early Texas settlers was that of
transportation. Roads were either poor or nonexistent and virtually impassable
during wet weather. Cypress settlers, as well as others around the state, faced
almost insurmountable obstacles in traveling and in getting their produce to
markets.
A writer for a Houston newspaper wrote about a trip by stage from Houston to the
Hockley area in December 1854 following 10 days of rain. The 35-mile trip took
nearly a day and a half and included an overnight stop. Life definitely changed
for the better when the railroads come on the scene!
Several men were instrumental in getting the railroads started in Houston and
Harris County. One of those was Ebenezer Allen of Galveston who obtained a
charter for the Galveston
& Red River Railway Company. This company, which later became the Houston & Texas Central Railway Company, opened its first 25-mile segment between Houston
and Cypress Top (early name of Cypress) on July 26, 1856. The first locomotive
was named Ebenezer after the
man who obtained the charter for the rail line. A chapter entitled “Houston & Texas Central Railway Company” from the book,
A History of the Texas Railroads, says the Ebenezer was assembled by a rail engineer from 27 boxes and 13 pieces
of materials. What a job that must have been!
The railroad track was extended 10 miles from Cypress to Hockley by May 1857.
The trip from Houston to Hockley, now made aboard the Houston
& Texas Central line, took only one hour and 40 minutes. The train not only
helped travel in the area, but it was also a boon to dairymen such as the
Dolens on House
& Hahl Road. They could now bring their cans of milk to the depot in Cypress and
send them by train to the processing plant in Houston. Also, businessmen such
as E. F. Juergen could order goods shipped by train from Houston to Cypress.
E. F. Juergen’s General Merchandise Store still exists today and is one of the historic
structures available for public viewing in the Cypress Top Historic Park
located at 26026 Hempstead Highway in Cypress. Park grounds are open daily from
7 a.m. to dusk. Museum buildings are open every Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
for drop-in tours conducted by docents from the Cypress Historical Society. To
schedule a tour for a different day and time, call 281-357-5324.
For more information regarding the Cypress Historical Society, contact Jane at janel_54@att.net.
