Bransford Depot

Bransford Depot. . From the mid 1800's until the time of Colleyville's incorporation in 1956 there existed in this area a number of "crossroads villages." Bransford was one of them. The opening of the Commerce to Ft. Worth branch of the St. Louis, Arkansas and Texas Railway (the "Cotton Belt") in 1888 gave birth to Bransford and the Bransford Depot, which was located at this site on the north side of the tracks., The coming of the railroad changed everything. When the Cotton Belt Railroad, opened on April 14, 1888, Alexander Franklin White (1876 - 1967) was a young boy living at his grandmother's farm just off Pleasant Run Road. Alexander later told his son, Philip, what he recalled about the coming of the rails. , Alexander reported that about one mile of track was laid each day with the Irishmen laying the crossties and Blacks laying the rails. He recalled how the opening of this line was cause for great celebrating and everyone turned out to watch and wave as the first train arrived. Chocolate bars were thrown from the train to the excited children along the route. This new line provided the first economical reliable transportation into and out of the pre-Colleyville area. Local producers could not ship their goods out by rail and merchants could bring in new merchandise. Salt mackerel and strawberries were two thing Philip White recalled his father saying he had never seen prior to the railroad's arrival. , Elihu Newton was a prominent local landowner when the railroad was built. Realizing the importance of a depot to his community, Elihu made a deal for one to be located at Bransford. The text of the deed that established Bransford Depot reads: , "Grantor: Elihu Newton , Grantee: St. Louis, Arkansas and Texas Railway Co., in Texas. , General Warranty Deed, dated July 20, 1889, filed July 23, 1889, and recorded in Book 55, page 67, in the office of the County Clerk of Tarrant County, Texas, Records of deeds. , Consideration: $1 paid and the further consideration that the said Railway Company, establish a flag station and build a passenger platform upon the premises hereinafter described...", To fulfill this agreement the railroad located a small railroad car body on the site to serve as the Bransford Flag Stop Depot. The train would only stop when there was freight or passengers to deliver or someone waiting to board. Boarding passengers might have to flag the train to stop. , U.S. Mail was delivered to this depot for distribution through the Bransford Post Office, until April 30, 1913, where mail service was moved to Smithfield. If the train was not expected to stop, the outgoing mailbag was placed on a pole beside the tracks and picked up by a hook from the moving train. , Harry Lee Kyle Reynolds (1889 - 1986) spoke freely about his memories of the Bransford Community. Kyle recalled how when he was a young boy he and his friends rushed over to Bransford after Church (Pleasant Run Baptist Church) to pick up the newspaper and see who got off the train. , The improvement of the original wagon paths that brought settlers into the area and the increasing popularity of the automobile, eventually led to the demise of the Bransford Depot.