Terrell's Depot Was Written Into the Land Deal

Terrell began as a bargain beside the tracks. In 1873, C. C. Nash and John G. Moore bought 320 acres and laid out streets and lots along the Texas and Pacific route. The town took the name of nearby landowner Robert A. Terrell.

The Terrell family, Nash, Moore, and Judge W. D. Irvine gave land to the railroad on one condition: it had to establish a permanent depot there. The 20-by-60-foot frame depot was finished by June 1873. A post office opened that year, and Terrell incorporated in 1875.

Another line deepened the railroad imprint. A Houston and Texas Central branch came through in 1882. Hetty Green bought it in 1892, and her son Edward H. R. Green led the reorganized Texas Midland, which kept shops and offices in Terrell. The 1911 Texas and Pacific freight depot at 200 S. Virginia Street remains a solid reminder that the town plan and the railroad grew up together.