[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 1267]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          CELEBRATING 150 YEARS OF RAILWAY HISTORY IN MAGNOLIA

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEVIN BRADY

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 12, 2013

  Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a great 
community in my district. Magnolia, Texas, is celebrating 150 years of 
railway history with a new title--Train Town.
  This designation from the Union Pacific Railroad will be official on 
Tuesday, February 12 when Union Pacific officials present the award to 
the Magnolia Historical Society, the City of Magnolia and the Greater 
Magnolia Chamber of Commerce.
  It's fitting that the presentation will take place at Magnolia's 
historic Depot. While it may only be 110 years that the town has been 
officially called Magnolia, this community's rich history dates back to 
the mid-1800s. By the roaring twenties, Magnolia was a rail shipping 
center for everything from lumber to livestock and just about anything 
you could send on the rails.
  Thank you, Union Pacific, for your efforts to recognize America's 
train history and these amazing train towns like Magnolia. Keeping a 
connection to our past is so important for our future.
  Magnolia's historic Depot is located right in the heart of downtown 
at 426 Melton Street. In 2005, rather than tear it down to make way for 
a road expansion, it was carefully moved so it can continue to be a 
tangible link to Magnolia's rich heritage and a big part of the 
community we love.
  Thanks to the Magnolia Historical Society, everyone who comes to the 
Depot can enjoy what the train city must have looked like and enjoy 
getting away from the present and immersed in history. From the solid 
plank wood floors, exposed wood trusses, and sliding freight doors, the 
Depot and its adjacent railroad tracks that were such a part of 
Magnolia's early days are preserved for future generations so they too 
can enjoy a real Train City. Their efforts to revive a piece of 
Magnolia's past for all of us to enjoy deserve this honor.
  As Magnolia continues to grow, I am confident it will never lose its 
Train Town heritage and how Magnolia's Depot connected Montgomery 
county to the world.

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