An 1874 Old Stone Dam in Allen, Texas

In 1874, the Houston & Texas Central Railway completed its route from Houston to Denison, the first railroad to span Texas from north to south. In Collin County, the railroad built a watering station that included a massive stone dam near where the route crossed Cottonwood Creek. The dam provided clean water for the elevated water tank that was built on 12 stone pilings that are reminiscent of the Stonehenge. The dam was replaced by a concrete dam in 1912 and preserved underwater until the 1912 dam was abandoned and breached, thus re-exposing the Old Stone Dam. The dam is included in the Allen Station Park and has been preserved by being reinforced with gabions downstream.

The dam, pump house foundation, and tank footings are listed in the National Register of Historic Places and are a State Antiquities Landmark. The City of Allen maintains this historic site and has a walking trail and illustrated signs that explain the history and purpose of the watering station. The unknown question about the site is "Why did the Houston & Texas Central Railway build a dam rather than install a windmill to provide water for the steam engines?”

This video is part of the Texas Historical Commission's Texas Archeology Month 2020 Virtual Symposium. View other presentations in the series on playlists organized by region on our YouTube channel.