Bill Text: TX HCR45 | 2011-2012 | 82nd Legislature | Introduced
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Designating Giddings as the official Depot Capital of Texas.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2011-05-19 - Signed by the Governor [HCR45 Detail]
Download: Texas-2011-HCR45-Introduced.html
Bill Title: Designating Giddings as the official Depot Capital of Texas.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2011-05-19 - Signed by the Governor [HCR45 Detail]
Download: Texas-2011-HCR45-Introduced.html
82R3563 JH-D | ||
By: Kleinschmidt | H.C.R. No. 45 |
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WHEREAS, The development of Texas in the late 1800s and early | ||
1900s was shaped in important ways by the railroad, with | ||
communities all across the state being transformed by the arrival | ||
of this revolutionary mode of transportation; and | ||
WHEREAS, Sadly, many of the historic depots that were | ||
integral to railroad operations have not survived the passage of | ||
the decades, and the disappearance of these structures deprives | ||
Texans of a tangible link to the state's past; and | ||
WHEREAS, In certain places, however, residents have had the | ||
foresight to preserve the vintage architectural treasures related | ||
to train travel, and the town of Giddings stands at the forefront of | ||
this trend; this historic crossroads in Central Texas has three | ||
original depots, each of which has been restored and put to use in | ||
ways that help illuminate the community's heritage; and | ||
WHEREAS, The resurrection of these buildings is especially | ||
fitting for Giddings, a city that was founded when the Houston and | ||
Central Texas Railway was built through the area in the early 1870s | ||
and that grew into an important rail junction; over time, the city's | ||
downtown became home to three depots: Union Station, which dates to | ||
the 1880s, a freight depot from the 1890s, and a brick passenger | ||
facility, built circa 1920; all three had closed by the 1960s due to | ||
the decline in train transportation, but each would survive to see a | ||
brighter day; and | ||
WHEREAS, A downtown revitalization plan drafted in the late | ||
1990s called for the restoration of the depots, and work was | ||
completed in 2009; today, Union Station houses the Rural Texas | ||
Tourism Center and the Union Station Transportation Museum, the | ||
brick passenger facility serves as the site of the Giddings | ||
Economic Development Corporation and the Giddings Area Chamber of | ||
Commerce, and the freight depot contains additional displays | ||
related to railroad history and memorabilia; the revitalization | ||
project also prompted the establishment of a walking tour of the | ||
historic area in Giddings; and | ||
WHEREAS, This admirable undertaking has once again made the | ||
depots a focal point of the downtown area, sparking a broader | ||
renaissance in the city and also publicizing the attractions of | ||
other small towns in the state through the efforts of the Rural | ||
Texas Tourism Center; moreover, the restoration of these historic | ||
train facilities provides visitors with a unique opportunity to | ||
gain deeper insight into the rich history of rail transport and the | ||
ways in which it helped build Texas into the dynamic state we know | ||
today; now, therefore, be it | ||
RESOLVED, That the 82nd Legislature of the State of Texas | ||
hereby designate Giddings as the official Depot Capital of Texas. |