Sanderson Railroad Depot
The Sanderson Depot, constructed in 1883, preceded the town that grew around it. In fact, the town itself was named after the president of the intercontinental railroad construction company. It was a terminal for Southern Pacific Railroad (SPRR) operations for a century, but SPRR moved the crew-change terminal in 1995, devastating the local economy. The depot was abandoned and vandalized.
The Sanderson Depot Association led a valiant effort to save it, but they were faced with many obstacles, including short deadlines from the railroad and a requirement from Union Pacific that the building be moved. In a bad economy, they were able to raise money for restoration, but not for moving it. In addition, they received continued local opposition from retired railroaders and other groups. County support was also unavailable, which prevented the association from applying for grants that required county involvement.
Though the association had a large contingent of supporters, a lack of funding options and absence of support from elected officials led to the demolition of the oldest structure in Sanderson in October of 2012.
Originally named to Preservation Texas’s 2005 MEP list, the depot was later included as a lost site on the tenth anniversary retrospective list in 2013.
ADDRESS: Persimmon Ave, Sanderson (Terrell County)
STATUS: Lost
RESOURCE TYPE: Transportation
YEAR LISTED: 2005, 2013
