The B-RI Railroad Museum
Home of the Baldwin Steam Locomotive "Big Mike"

Photo taken by Harry Glen Hippel  in Jan. 1985.  Webpage updated  Oct. 16, 2002

This page sponsored  by:

The B-RI Railroad Museum 208 S. Third St. Teague, Texas 75860  USA See what other Texas rail attractions are doing!  Go to: www.texasrailtrail.com

The first floor of this building was used for the depot and rooms included the rotunda, ticket office, one waiting room for white women, one waiting room for white men, a Negro waiting room and ticket office, a baggage room, a dining room (Vannoy Restaurant), a kitchen and three rest rooms.  The second floor housed the general railroad offices for the superintendent, the roadmaster, the trainmaster, division engineer, dispatchers and clerks.

Today, this building is a step back in time.  The charm of the railroad and the people who developed the area are evident in every room.  For $2.00 admission for adults, $1.00 for children and special breaks for groups, you can tour the museum on weekends from 1 - 5 PM.    Special arrangements can be made for other times if you call in advance. See bottom of this page for a list of special displays and links to photos.  The second floor also has a vast collection of genealogy records on the Teague family name.

According to Ms. Dorothy McVey, who has kept a chronicle of the railroad with great detail and devotion, the first passenger train arrived in Teague on July 23, 1906.  Ms. McVey goes on to say:

"This great event was reported on the front page of the first edition of the Teague Chronicle, Vol 1, No. 1, dated July 27, 1906, which is now exhibited in the B-RI Railroad Museum, along with the Cottrell printing press which printed it.

This same railroad which brought the "black iron horse" to Teague, introduced diesel passenger streamliners to Texas.  This railroad belonged to the Burlington-Rock Island complex during most of its sixty years of service.  In Texas' Centennial year of l936, this new era in passenger transportation was inaugurated with the state's first diesel powered streamlined train, the "Sam Houston Zephyr" named in honor of Sam Houston.

On Oct. 1, 1936, this famous train went into daily round trip service between Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth on the fastest daily schedule ever established, clipping off the 250 miles in 250 minutes, with Teague being one of only three stops."

The following is a list of departments of interest that are within the B-RI Railroad Museum.

• Railroad Memorabilia
• School History
• Early Texas Life
• Veterans Room (Civil War, WWI, WWII, Korean conflict and Vietnam)
• Doctors and Medical Care
• Churches, Businesses and Non-Profit Organizations
• Boy Scouts
• Teague Family Genealogical Research Dept.
• Baldwin Locomotive from 1925
• Caboose
• Log Home complete with furnishing
• Old City Jail
• Moonshine equipment from the Roaring 20's

I would like to acknowledge the cooperation of the Board of Directors of the B-RI Railroad Museum for their help and especially Ms. Dorothy McVey of Teague who allowed me to quote her historical articles.  The Mexia Daily News published a great insert on local history in the spring of l996 called the Community Yearbook, Yesterday and Today.  They are located at 214 N. Railroad St. Mexia, Tx 76667.  They may have information on:  the area, the railroad, early pioneers and, believe it or not, a prisoner of war camp during World War II that house as many as 5,800 German prisoners.

Photos below are just a few scenes from the B-RI Railroad Museum grounds.
 

The main rotunda where the ticket window sold tickets from 1906 to 1966.  Many original furnishings and ticket office supplies are displayed in this area.	This area had a ticket window that sold tickets to the Black community at one time.  It also served as access to baggage and shipments which could also be picked up with wagons at the double doors.  Today, photos, employee memorabilia and rail passes are displayed on the West side.
(View before renovation) West facade of the B-RI Railroad Museum.  Displayed on this open porch is a railroad motor car.  Vintage church pews also line the perimeter.  There is an old locomotive bell on an iron stand which was given to the Catholic Church in Teague.  The bell was placed in the tower for many years and was used for weddings, funerals, etc.  When the church was remodeled and the tower removed, the church then returned the bell to the museum.  Doors to the second floor, the baggage room, handicap access and the door to the Early Texas Room, originally the dining room and kitchen of the depot, are on this porch.	(View January 2002, after renovation.) This renovation was made possible by a $700,000 grant from the Texas Department of Transportation.  Matching funds of $170,000 came from the Economic Development Corporation of Teague.
A small selection of railroad employee artifacts.	Display of collections from Teague families.  This area also has a variety of household items which were very common 80 years ago and used in the home and on the farm.
Original Trinity & Brazos Valley Railway wooden filing cabinets holding genealogical records of the Teague family.  This is in one of two rooms on the second floor which display records of the Teague family for which the town was named.  These rooms were originally the offices of the railroad superintendent and clerks.	These gowns and shoes from the 1900's were part of weddings and events that were the talk of the town.
A Sonntag accordian and sheetmusic.	This was used by Teague merchants to display ribbon.  Photos from the merchant with this case in the background are located on the second floor.
A display in the Hospital and Doctor Room shows a cabinet from the Teague City Hospital which contains old medical instruments.  Also displayed in this room are photographs of all Teague doctors and hospitals, hospital furniture, medical equipment, medicine bags, etc.	A new feature which is under construction at this time, is a model train village.
Children's old style school desks are displayed in the School Room of the museum which  is now upstairs.  Lots of great memories and photos from the very early days of  Teague to more recent classes. Displayed on the desk is an old slate board (used before blackboards), a wooden top, a hand-made sling shot, and old textbooks.  Also displayed in this room are many photographs of all school buildings, administrators and teachers, and graduating classes, and school activities, in addition to school newspapers and school yearbooks.	(View before renovation) West facade of the B-RI Railroad Museum.  Displayed on this open porch is a railroad motor car.  Vintage church pews also line the perimeter.  There is an old locomotive bell on an iron stand which was given to the Catholic Church in Teague.  The bell was placed in the tower for many years and was used for weddings, funerals, etc.  When the church was remodeled and the tower removed, the church then returned the bell to the museum.  Doors to the second floor, the baggage room, handicap access and the door to the Early Texas Room, originally the dining room and kitchen of the depot, are on this porch.
A page of a display stand in the Veterans' Room holds photographs of veterans in their uniforms and also displays of all wars including the Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Korean Conflict, and Vietnam.	A 1925 Baldwin locomotive, called "Big Mike", is pictured here.  It was donated to the museum by the W.T. Carter family and was used with their forestry company and lumber mill at Camden, Texas, for many years.
Caboose donated by Burlington Northern Railroad.   The caboose has been restored and displays its cots, desks, and original restroom.  Many railroad photographs are on exhibit in the caboose.	This is one of the favorite displays for the children visitors as they are allowed to climb aboard and ring its bell. (Pictured above and below)
The Col. B.A. Philpott log home was reconstructed behind the B-RI Railroad Museum and contains furnishing from local families.   This 1850 structure was moved from Dew, nearby Teague.  It contains a bedroom and a kitchen, each with fireplaces, and a "dog trot" between.  It was donated to the museum by Mr. and Mrs. Dale McCeig who owned the land where it was originally built.  Its moving and furnishing was a "Heritage Project' of the Bicentennial.  Col. Philpott was a veteran of the Civil War.  The town of Teague was the only official Bicentennial community in Freestone County.	Looking over the details inside Big Mike.

This log home is just a part of the grounds which are available for touring on weekends.  Special tours are available during the rest of the week.

A special Thank You to Ms. Dorothy McVey for her descriptions of the photos above. If you have questions about the Museum or the area, email Ginny Folsom at adlady@hughes.net   I will try to answer your questions, forward them to someone who may know more about your inquiry, and/or  occasionally post the letters in the Teague Chronicle.  This paper has a circulation of 2,000.

Come back and see us again!!!