The La Porte-Sylvan Beach Depot

Constructed in downtown La Porte on East Main Street near Five Points in 1895, the La Porte/Sylvan Beach Depot became part of the Southern Pacific System in 1899 as the Galveston, Houston and San Antonio Line. In 1915, Southern Pacific moved the building to Sylvan Beach to better serve passengers after the park became popular, and it was called the Sylvan Beach Depot, later renamed the La Porte Beach Depot so La Porte would be listed prominently on the Southern Pacific train schedule. At the same time, a rail spur was being laid to Morgan's Point that would eventually become the Bayshore Line. In 1930, the depot closed because of the popularity of the automobile and a lack of passengers, and the building, along with the Morgan's Point Depot, was sold and moved back downtown to Main Street, where it became a filling station and general store. In 1980, the old La Porte/Sylvan Beach Depot was donated to the newly formed La Porte Bay Area Heritage Society and moved back to its 1915 location by the entrance to Sylvan Beach Park, then restored and opened in 1984 as a museum to house and preserve the area's history.

La Porte, Texas · United States