Houston, Mississippi
|
Chickasaw County Population: 893 in 1890 877 in 1900 1400 in 1910 1408 in 1920 Town incorporated: 5-9-1837 Post office: 12-5-1837 to present |
Next Town North- Thelma
Milepost 280.5 in 1905 Milepost 281.87 on valuation map (from Mobile)
Next Town South- Anchor |
|||||||
|
1915 soil survey map |
1974 USGS topo map |
|||||||
|
HISTORY by Tony Howe:
Houston was founded in 1836-37 as the county seat of Chickasaw County on land donated by Judge Joel Pinson with the stipulation that the town be named for his childhood friend, Sam Houston. The first railroad through Houston was built by the Southern Railway from Okolona to Calhoun City in 1902-03. It was operated by the Mobile & Ohio, which was controlled by the Southern at the time. The first train reached Houston in November 1903, with the line officially opened between Houston and Okolona in March 1904. The branch was completed west to Calhoun City on December 12, 1906. In April 1933, this branch was sold to the newly-formed Okolona Houston & Calhoun City Railroad, which lasted until it was abandoned in 1939. The track was removed in 1940. The second railroad through Houston was built from Pontotoc through Houston, Ackerman and Louisville by the Gulf & Chicago Railroad in 1903-06, which was controlled by the Mobile Jackson & Kansas City RR until the two railroads merged on December 1, 1909 to form the New Orleans Mobile & Chicago Railroad. This railroad was reorganized on January 1, 1917 to become the Gulf Mobile & Northern Railroad. This railroad, in turn, merged with the Mobile & Ohio on September 13, 1940 to form the Gulf Mobile & Ohio Railroad. This railroad operated until it was merged with the Illinois Central Railroad on August 10, 1972 to form Illinois Central Gulf RR. ICG received permission to abandon the railroad from Woodland to Ackerman on December 14, 1981, and was officially abandoned on March 1, 1982. The remainder of the former GM&O lines in Mississippi was sold off to the newly formed Gulf & Mississippi Railroad on July 10, 1985, who abandoned the railroad from Houston to Woodland shortly afterwards. Gulf & Mississippi RR was bought by Midsouth Rail on April 14, 1988, which was then bought by Kansas City Southern RR in 1994. In 1998, KCS sold the line from Houston to Middleton TN to North American Railnet, Inc., who formed the Mississippi Tennessee Railnet to operate the line. In 2003, Mississippi-Tennessee Railnet was sold to Ironhorse Resources, Inc., who changed the name to Mississippi Tennessee Railroad. In 2004, this company filed to abandon 43.2 miles of track from New Albany to Houston. The track was removed and a recreational trail, known as the "Tanglefoot Trail" is being built on the right-of-way. A number of newer industries (post-1950's, anyway) were located about a mile north of downtown, including a grain elevator. A new passing track called "Oaks" was built here by that time.
INDUSTRY - Philip J Toomer Lumber Co,- sawmill was located north of the M&O-GM&N crossing in 1925; to Ashton Toomer Lumber Co. by 1943, also shown as Houston Planing Mill Co. on val map Houston Hardwood Mill- shown on 1925 Sanborn Map on M&O J. H. Jamison- hardwood mill located on M&O on 1925 Sanborn Map Houston Water & Light Plant- located on M&O east of depot on 1925 Sanborn Map Standard Oil Co.- located on M&O east of depot on 1925 Sanborn Map Houston Warehouse Co.- cotton warehouse located on spur between M&O and GM&N on 1925 Sanborn Map; to Hattiesburg Compress Co. by 1943 D. A. Box Saw & Planing Mill- located on M&O west of depot on 1925 Sanborn Map Houston Ice Plant- located on M&O behind depot on 1925 Sanborn Map Houston Grocery Co.- located behind GM&N depot Gulf Refining Co.- located behind GM&N depot Kraft-Phenix Cheese Corp.- on 1943 Sanborn Map south of GM&O depot Texas Co. (Texaco)- on GM&O northeast of depot in 1943 Chickasaw Cotton Oil Co.- located across from GM&N depot Hercules Buggy Co.- located north of Toomer Lumber, spur was removed May 1, 1920 S. S. Collins Lumber Co.- located north of Hercules Buggy Co., leased spur 1-13-1941
|
||||||||
Postcard of former GM&N depot about 1970. |
Looking north at former GM&N depot at Houston on March 12, 1988. |
The freight section of the depot had been torn down by the time of this photo dated March 12, 1988. |
||||||
Houston Grocery Co. warehouse was located behind the GM&N depot. Dec 22, 1993. |
Former M&O depot at Houston was a farm equipment dealer in this photo dated 6-7-1992. |
Former overpass of Highway 15 over the M&O branch still existed in 1992, even though the cut the railroad went through had been partially filled in many years before. |
||||||
|
|
||||||||
1917 ICC Valuation Map click map for larger version David Bridges Collection |
1917 ICC Valuation Map click map for larger version David Bridges Collection |
1917 ICC Valuation Map click map for larger version David Bridges Collection |
||||||
1917 ICC Valuation Map click map for larger version David Bridges Collection |
1917 ICC Valuation Map click map for larger version David Bridges Collection |
1917 ICC Valuation Map click map for larger version David Bridges Collection |
||||||
1917 ICC Valuation Map click map for larger version David Bridges Collection |
1917 ICC Valuation Map click map for larger version David Bridges Collection |
1917 ICC Valuation Map click map for larger version David Bridges Collection |
||||||
 |
1917 GM&N Track Chart & Profile |
 |
||||||
 |
1908 |
|||||||
| BUSINESSES (per R.G. Dun & Co.)-
S. I. Ashby, grocery & provisions 1866-74 __ Ashby, saloon 1873 J. L. Atkinson, confections 1868 T. W. Atkinson, drugs 1873-74-75 A. Barton, grocery 1873 Mrs. A. Barton- millinery 1874-75 A. C. Beard, carriage factory 1868 A. C. Beard, boots & shoes 1873-74 A. C. & J. A. Beard- boots & shoes 1875 D. P. Black, hotel 1873-74-75 T. J. Buchanan & Son, dry goods 1868 Burket & McNamee- paper 1874-75 J. M. Chenault, general store 1873-74 John Dancer, jeweler 1873-74-75 Dibbrell & Houseman, general store 1868 R. N. Dominick, mill 1868-73- Dulaney & Scott, dry goods 1873-74-75 Wm. Ellis, dry goods & grocery 1868-73- Mrs. A. H. Foster, dry goods 1866 Mrs. Emily Foster, hotel 1873-74 Wm. T. Harland, tannery & saddlery 1866-68-73- D. E. Hickman & Co., dry goods & grocery 1873-74-75 Wm. Hill, miller 1868-73-74-75 Hill, Shell & Bro.- dry goods & grocery 1874-75 W. I. Howell, drugs 1866 P. A. & F. P. Hughes, carriage mnfg 1866 James Miller, tin factory 1866-68 A. J. Jimerson, hotel 1873-74-75 Wm. McName & Co.- drugs 1875 E. F. Medlin, grocery 1873-74 James E. Miller, tinner 1873 Mitchell & Bro., dry goods 1868 Mitchell & Hill, general store 1873-74 M. C. Mitchell & Co., general store 1873-74 R. G. Mitchell & Co., dry goods 1868 J. P. Montgomery, physician 1868 Simon Myers, dry goods 1866-68 Myers & Houseman, dry goods 1873-74-75 Myers & Mehrback- dry goods 1875 Park & Stovall, dry goods 1868 Porter & Hill- dry goods 1874 John A. Purkey, physician 1868-75 J. J. Ruff, blacksmith 1873-74 Shell Smith & Shell, grocery 1873 M. C. Shell- dry goods & grocery 1874 Robert S. Smith, confections 1873 J. J. Ruff- blacksmith 1875 J. H. Tabb, miller 1873-74-75 C. E. Taft, sewing machines 1873 C. E. Taft- saddler 1875 Geo. W. Tittle, stables 1868 C. E. Toft, saddler 1868-74 B. G. Underwood, 1873 Walker & Evans, drugs 1868 Walker & Gray, drugs 1866 J. E. Whitley- 1875 A. G. Wood- 1875 D. K. Woodall, cabinet maker 1866-68-73-74-75
|
|
|
||||||
| If you have any corrections or
additional info, we would love to hear from you! We are always looking for
additional photos, too. Find our contact info below.
|
||||||||
For more information contact Tony Howe at tonyhowe76@yahoo.com or David S. Price at dsprice46@bellsouth.net