Historical Sites
Beeville and Bee County

 33 - COMMERCIAL NATIONAL BANK OF BEEVILLE << Full List >> 35 - PARK HOTEL

34 - THE RAILROAD IN BEE COUNTY

Intersection of W. Bowie and N. Madison Streets (site of the depot), Beeville

On June 14,1886 the first San Antonio and Aransas Pass (SA&AP) train arrived in Beeville to a cheering crowd. The arrival marked the combined efforts of the SA&AP President Uriah Lott; Beeville merchant, banker and cattleman Capt. A.C. Jones; and rancher Frank Skidmore to route the railroad through Bee County. When Lott’s proposed line from San Antonio to the Gulf at Corpus Christi was opposed by the nearby town of Goliad, Jones granted land and substantial ~ funds, while Skidmore donated land and the Skidmore town-site. Many others followed their example. Transformed from a village to a boom town and, surrounded by new farming towns, Beeville became a shipping point for cattle and cotton. In 1889, after the Southern Pacific completed a second line through here to Victoria and the Port of Galveston, Bee County be-came a rail center with connections far and wide for passenger and freight service. Passenger service peaked in 1918, and by 1930, the Beeville-Skidmore line averaged 18 trains daily. During World War II, passenger service increased, but improved highway travel led to its end in 1952. The Southern Pacific depot was razed in 1958, and the last train left Bee County in 1994, but the booster spirit of the railroad era lives on. ???? colonists in 1829 boom town and, surrounded by new farming towns, Beeville became a shipping point for cattle and cotton. In 1889, after the Southern Pacific completed a second line through here to Victoria and the Port of Galveston, Bee County became a rail center with connections far and wide for passenger and freight service. Passenger service peaked in 1918, and by 1930, the Beeville-Skidmore line averaged 18 trains daily. During World War II, passenger ser-vice increased, but improved highway travel led to its end in 1952. The Southern Pacific depot was razed in 1958, and the last train left Bee County in 1994, but the booster spirit of the railroad era lives on.
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