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Flatonia Rail Park

Located in the Flatonia National Historic District at the corner of 108 W. South Main Street, the Railroad Park is bordered on the north by the Union Pacific rail line, on the east by Penn Street and on the south by East South Main Street.  The park has a few unique features described below and are available for touring through a request to City Hall.

Flatonia Tower No. 3 is a two-story rail tower clad in wood siding with metal, hipped roof with wide eaves.  On the first level of the primary façade, there is a single wood paneled door with historic hardware.  On the first level's secondary elevations, there are single and paired, divided-light, double-hung, wood windows.  The building has an exterior metal staircase that leads to an entrance on the second story.  The upper level door has divided lights over wood panels and the second story is wrapped with paired or grouped divided-light, double-hung, wood windows. 

The building was constructed by the Galveston, Harrisburg & San Antonio Railroad in 1902 to serve as a switching tower at the intersection with the San Antonio & Aransas Pass line.  Texas began its numbering system for rail switching towers in 1901 and Flatonia's was number three after that date.  It remained in active service from its construction until 1996 when it was decommissioned by Southern Pacific, shortly before the company's takeover by Union Pacific, and by that time it was the last of its kind still opereating in Texas.  It was moved to its present location to save it from destruction.  It is now owned by the E.A. Arnim Archives & Museum of Flatonia and open for viewing by rail fans through the Central Texas Rail History Center of Flatonia.

The Flatonia Jail

The building, a calaboose, is one story in height and small in size with a rectangular plan.  It is clad in vertical wood board and has a single-gable roof clad in corrugated metal.  The faced is symmetrical and has two holding cells side by side, with both cell doors opening to the outside.

The calaboose was built in 1890 as an improvement to previous jail accommodations and was located northeast of the Justice of the Peace Courthouse along the alley between South Main and Sixth Streets.  In 1952, the two cell building was moved as a result of citizen complaints regarding prisoners' noise but continued to be used for overnight lockups until the early 1980s.  In 1984, it was moved to its present location to be maintained as a historic building.  Featuring prisoners' graffiti dating as far back as 1900, the Flatonia calaboose is just one of two know to exist in the country.

Caboose Rail Car

The City of Flatonia obtained this caboose rail car in 2003 and it has been fully restored on the inside.  It is open to visitor tours through the Central Texas Rail History Center of Flatonia.

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