Temple-Belton Interurban

The heyday of the interurban railway was the early twentieth century when it met the needs of small towns not served by the steam railways. The last vestiges of the Temple-Belton Interurban Railway connecting the two towns have been paved over and buried forever. Interurban lines developed primarily in north and central Texas. The first service linked Denison and Sherman and soon added McKinney and Dallas. Two companies, the Texas Traction Company and the Southern Traction Company merged to become the Texas Electric Railway Company and, as the largest railway company in the south, operated more than 200 miles of track. Lines served Waxahachie, Corsicana and Waco.

The interurban in Temple-Belton got its start when J.C. Houser, a Pennsylvania lawyer, visited the area for health reasons. He convinced investors in Pennsylvania to build and operate an electric railway line between the two towns. Belton was the county seat of Bell County and by the 1880s had become a regional hub for the cotton trade. Temple, founded in 1881 to serve the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railway, had quickly surpassed Belton in population and offered opportunities for increased economic growth. The citizens of Belton also sought to expand their markets southward via the railroad.

Temple and Belton purchased stock and construction bonds, and within a few months the work was completed. The line included about 12 miles of track, with spurs, switches, and sidings and a loop through the main residential areas. It was one of the earliest interurban railways in Texas, and it allowed commerce to flow easily between the two towns.

Chartered as the Belton and Temple Traction Company in 1904, the company’s board of directors included the investors from Pennsylvania, A. F. Bentley of Temple, and N.K. Smith of Belton. Another director was H.E. Ahrens, the contractor who built and equipped the road. J. C. Houser was the manager.

A number of prominent citizens rode the railway on its inaugural trip between Temple and Belton. Interurban railway travel was a form of luxury travel, and excursions were offered at special rates. Interurbans known as “Limited” had carpeted floors, lounge chairs, rest rooms, and spittoons for the convenience of travelers. Cars were designed for use in all types of weather—open cars for summer and closed cars for winter. Extra cars were coupled on when needed for luggage and additional passengers.

Overhead cables supplied with electricity from electric power stations along the route powered the cars. As an interesting side note, in 1907 property owners in Belton brought a lawsuit against the Southwestern Telegraph & Telephone Company and the Belton & Temple Traction Company to recover damages for the loss of horses that were killed by contact with a downed trolley line on Pearl Street in Belton.

The Belton-Temple Interurban developed a park for tourists at Midway, halfway between the two towns. A summer theater existed at the 38-acre tract known as Midway Park. When this venture proved unsuccessful, the Bell County Fair Association operated its annual exposition there. It was eventually sold to the Ku Klux Klan as a meeting place.

Information obtained from Mrs. W. A. Means and Mr. T. E. Sanderford verified the route of the trolley in Belton. It entered Belton at what would be 14th Avenue if extended; crossed 14th Avenue at Beal; went south on Beal to 13th Avenue; west on 13th Avenue to College Street; south on College Street to 10th Avenue; east on 10th to Penelope Street; south on Penelope to Central Avenue; west on Central to Pearl Street; north on Pearl to 7th Avenue; west on 7th to College Street; north on College to 13th Street and out of the city limits as it came in. The trolley alternated its direction on each trip, and in this way, was able to service passengers in different parts of Belton.

In Temple, the route took in Santa Fe Hospital, Avenues G and H, 8th Street, Avenue A, 5th Street, Central Avenue, 9th Street, and French Avenue. The car barns were located on 8th Street in Temple. W. G. Haag built the north loop of the trolley lines along French Avenue in 1905 when there were only three houses in existence along the street.

In 1918, the Belton-Temple Traction Company was re-organized as the Southwestern Traction Company with Albert Bentley as its president. Unfortunately, improved roadways and the rise of the automobile industry led to the gradual decline of the interurban railways in Texas. Although citizens of Belton were able to file a Writ of Injunction through the courts to stop the destruction of the Belton-Temple Interurban line in 1918, service was ultimately terminated by the Southwestern Traction Company in 1926. By 1948, virtually all Texas interurban railways had ceased operation.

Bell County Historical Commission (Tex.). Story of Bell County, Texas. Edited by E. A. Limmer. Austin, Tex: Eakin Press, 1988.

Benoit, Patricia. “Backroads: A New Year, a Century Prior.” Temple Daily Telegram. Accessed February 7, 2018. http://www.tdtnews.com/news/article_67278ba8-8f04-11e4-bd5d-9724709dadcc.html.

Kelsey, Michael, and Nancy Graff-Kelsey. Temple. Images of America. Charleston, S.C: Arcadia Pub, 2010.

Magers, Michael. “The Interurban (Texas Electric Railway).” The Texas Story Project (blog), n.d. https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/texas-story-project/interurban-railway-dallas

Southwestern Tel. & Tel. Co. v. Keys, 50 Tex. Civ. App. 648.