Planned in 1840 to benefit the Republic of Texas by moving rich sugar and cotton crops from plantation areas, this railroad was chartered in 1841 by the 5th Congress of the Republic under the name Harrisburg Railroad & Trading Company. H. R. & T. C. did not succeed in building a railroad, and its holdings were transferred in 1847 to Gen. Sidney Sherman, a hero of the Battle of San Jacinto, backed by eastern capital and leading Texans including W. J. Hutchins, Gen. Hugh McLeod, Wm. Marsh Rice, B. A. Shepherd, James H. Stevens, and John Grant Tod, a former Texas naval officer. B. F. Terry and W. J. Kyle graded the roadbed, and the first locomotive, "General Sherman," arrived in 1852. In August 1853 the tracks extended 20 miles from Harrisburg to Stafford's Point, an early Texas center of trade and social life, and on Sept. 1 a special train brought honored guests to join planters there for a barbecue-jubilee. Regular schedules soon began, Stafford's Point did much business as the end of the line for two years, and by 1860 the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos & Colorado had reached Alleyton, 80 miles from Harrisburg.